FSU baseball lands top prospect after he falls in MLB Draft

Original story from June 4, 2018

College baseball programs have always struggled when it comes to the MLB Draft. Every year coaches from around the country spend months tracking and scouting talent for their respective program only to see the pros come calling and their time wasted once the player decides to go pro.

Last year, Florida State missed out on the services of DL Hall, a 6’2’’ left-handed pitcher selected by the Baltimore Orioles with the 21st overall pick. This year, the ’Noles are keeping a close eye on MLB Pipeline’s No. 6 rated shortstop in the 2018 draft class.

Nander de Sedas, once viewed as the best shortstop prospect in the country, draws comparisons to Cleveland Indians superstar shortstop Francisco Lindor. The two attended the same school, Montverde Academy, in Florida — but their games are a bit different.

Lindor was always a plus-plus defender. His doubters questioned whether he could hit consistently at the big-league level — he’s proven that he can.

De Sedas, on the other hand, is viewed as an offensive-first guy. He possesses good raw power however, with a lack of top-end speed, he projects out as a third baseman at the MLB-level. While inconsistencies in his approach at the plate, and questions as to how much the power will play-up against big-league pitchers have been addressed throughout the year, the 18-year-old FSU commit has seen his draft-stock fall from a Top 5 pick, to a 3rd Round hopeful.

What to look for?

With money being the primary factor in whether or not he ever wears a Seminoles jersey, its worth noting the MLB organizations with the highest allotment of money to spend during the draft.

1. Royals $12,781,900
2. Tigers $12,414,800
3. Rays $12,402,600
4. Giants $11,747,500
5. Reds $10,887,600
6. White Sox $10,589,900
7. Pirates $10,390,400
8. Padres $9,650,000
9. Mets $9,580,900
10. A’s $9,531,500

Teams that have extra money will often try to sign payers under the slot value in an effort to potentially land other players that they did not expect.

For example, The Tampa Bay Rays were “surprised” that Matthew Liberatore fell to them at 16 overall, and while many teams may have passed because of concerns over sign-ability, the Rays have such a large amount that they can afford to offer him more than what is expected of a 16th overall pick — which is approximately $3.6MM.

The Royals select 16th in the 3rd Round (94th overall) and with de Sedas viewed as one of the Top 5 players on the board right now, it’s unlikely that he falls to them. The Padres selected a HS shortstop, Xavier Edwards, with the 38th overall selection so they probably go in a different direction.

Ultimately, the best chance for an MLB team to sign the FSU commit will be if he is selected by one of these teams with a high allotment. If they decide to offer him a dollar figure that is deemed to be much higher than the estimated slot value, he could be in the pros next season.

The slot-value, however, for the last pick in the 2nd Round is estimated to be $762.9K. So it is unlikely that there is a team out there willing to offer much more than that.

Will he decide to walk away from Florida State for $750K?

With the question marks about his next-level bat, it appears that de Sedas could benefit greatly by enrolling at FSU and improving his draft stock — before leaving as a draft-eligible junior. Once viewed as a sure thing to go pro straight out of high school, it is becoming more and more likely that de Sedas could be wearing a gold jersery on Sunday’s next spring.

UPDATED at 6:00pm on June 5, 2018

With nine rounds in the books and his name still not selected, there is very little chance that de Sedas will sign a pro contract this year. Slot values have already dropped below $150K — that’s not very enticing for a player that, up until recently, was widely viewed as the best high school infielder in the nation.

The only threat to his FSU commitment is the JUCO ranks. If he joins the Seminoles, he will not be draft eligible until 2021. If he feels that he could vastly improve his draft stock by simply waiting one year, de Sedas could go to a JUCO program and become eligible in 2019, after just one year.

UPDATED at 4:14pm on June 6, 2018

The Milwaukee Brewers selected de Sedas with the 875th overall pick — in the 29th round.

UPDATED at 9:26pm on Jun 6, 2018

Noles receive confirmation that de Sedas will be in Tallahassee next season.