Vieaux likely leaving MSU; Mekkes' baseball future in limbo
Dakota Mekkes needed a mentor, and he had the perfect one close by in Cam Vieaux.
Two years of eligibility at Michigan State left. A major-league organization that wants to pry him away from college. A life-altering decision ahead.
Vieaux went through it a year ago, ended up returning to the Spartans this season and got drafted again, significantly higher. He now appears headed to the pros.
Mekkes? That’s to be determined.
“Cam was literally in the same exact situation as I am right now,” said Mekkes, a redshirt sophomore pitcher from Jenison who was a 10th-round selection of the Chicago Cubs on Friday. “I got to ask him about the whole draft process, what to expect and what happens when you do get drafted. Having him around was pretty big, because he knows what’s going on.”
Matt Byars became the fourth Spartan underclassman selected in the MLB First-Year Player draft on Saturday, MSU’s highest total of underclassmen drafted in one class during coach Jake Boss’ nine seasons.
MSU's Vieaux, Zimmerman, Mekkes picked in MLB draft
The Minnesota Twins drafted junior catcher Byars in the 24th round with the 723rd overall pick, following Mekkes, redshirt junior pitcher Vieaux (Pirates/sixth round) and junior infielder Jordan Zimmerman (Angels/seventh). Underclassmen have until July 15 to decide whether to turn pro this summer or return to MSU in the fall.
Vieaux said he expects to finalize a deal with Pittsburgh soon. The Detroit Tigers took the Novi native in the 19th round of the 2015 draft, but he opted to return to MSU and enhance his stock.
The MLB-slotted value for the Pirates to sign Vieaux at Pick 195 is $238,600.
“I think the position that I’m in right now, there’s not much negotiating I can do. I think I’ve got a pretty fair deal, so I’ll figure things out this weekend,” said Vieaux, who likely would report to Pittsburgh’s short-season Class A team in Morgantown, West Virginia. “I told Dakota that … if he’s going to ask for a big number, that might scare teams away for signability so don’t be opposed to work out a deal in later rounds.”
Bonus money is a big factor for college players to forfeit a scholarship and leave early. Because both Vieaux and Mekkes took a redshirt upon arriving in East Lansing, they could be drafted after two years of playing for the Spartans. It also gave them three opportunities to be drafted in college after neither was picked coming out of high school.
However, Mekkes landed in a tough spot if he wants to get a substantial sum to sign. Baseball America reports the Cubs have the lowest amount of bonus pool money available in the draft at $2,245,100 to spread around their top 10 rounds. The slotted value for Mekkes at Pick 314 is $156,600.
“They told me they were going to take two seniors in the eighth and ninth rounds to try and save money to get me in the 10th,” Mekkes said. “I’m going to wait and talk to (Cubs officials) after the draft finishes. We’ll talk more about it and figure it out.”
The top 10 rounds have prescribed signing bonus totals. Zimmerman’s projected value to sign as the 216th pick is $195,200. Draft picks in rounds 11-40, such as Byars, are suggested to be given no more than $100,000 per bonus.
Byars hit .284 with four home runs, 16 doubles, two triples and 26 RBIs in his first season at MSU. The 6-foot-1, 188-pounder from Lodi, Wisconsin, started 54 of MSU’s 56 games this spring after spending his first two seasons at Heartland Community College in Normal, Illinois. He earned MSU’s Defensive Player of the Year award for throwing out 12 runners from behind the plate and directing a pitching staff that was among the NCAA leaders in ERA all season.
The Spartans now have had 25 players drafted under Boss, including 14 underclassmen with this year’s draftees so far. Nine of them previously signed pro contracts, with only Vieaux bypassing pro baseball last year to return to MSU.
MSU had three underclassmen drafted in 2012, with Torsten Boss, Ryan Jones (Haslett) and Tony Wieber (Grand Ledge) all leaving after their junior seasons. The other MSU players to turn pro early are A.J. Achter and Jonathan Roof in 2010; David Garner in 2013; Jimmy Pickens in 2014; and Cam Gibson and Anthony Misiewicz in 2015. Achter is the only one to make it to the major leagues.
“Guys have grown up here and earned an opportunity by playing at Michigan State to play at the next level,” Boss said. “At the same time, for a pro organization, they know they’re going to get guys who are ready to go out and play, guys who can compete and probably compete successfully at the pro level. Now, whether they get to the big leagues are not, that’s a different story. It takes something special to get there, but all our guys want is an opportunity.”