He is a very good pitching prospect. That said, he is currently nowhere near a first round pick, much less a pick in the first ten selections of the first round. He performed well at PerfectGame Baseball national events, but he was not consistently dominant. If he has a tremendous senior year in high school he could go in the third-fifth round of the MLB draft. That gets you a nice mid six figure bonus. Recognizing you pay taxes on that bonus it is hardly life changing money. The bonus is also not paid in a lump sum. It is paid over two years in two installments. Add to that the fact that minor league players only get $1200 per month (and only get paid during the season) so you need to factor in using the bonus money to live while you are in the minors, which for a prospect like this is likely five years.
Absent unusual circumstances his best approach is to go to college. South Carolina is an elite baseball program and he will obtain top tier coaching. Unlike many other schools, the current AD is the former baseball coach. The baseball program receives huge support from the school.
If he is truly committed to his baseball career going to South Carolina for three years makes sense. At that time if he has truly developed he will receive the same or better bonus and spend less time in the minors.
