Veteran infielder Jedd Gyorko has been named as manager of the West Virginia Black Bears, one of six teams in the newly-created MLB Draft League. Originally launched back in November by Major League Baseball and Prep Baseball Report, the Draft League debuts this summer with a 68-game schedule, and the rosters of the six clubs will be filled with players eligible for this year’s amateur draft. The Draft League is intended as a showcase for these prospects to train and play in proper game environments in front of scouts and evaluators, as well as receive “educational programming designed to prepare them for careers as professional athletes,” as per today’s league media release.
Longtime minor league coach Billy Horton manages the Williamsport Crosscutters, and the other five clubs are managed by former MLB players — Coco Crisp (Mahoning Valley Scrappers), Derrick May (Frederick Keys), Jeff Manto (Trenton Thunder), Delwyn Young (State College Spikes), and Gyorko. While these other names have been retired for years and had moved into other coaching/managerial positions, Gyorko just played 42 games with the Brewers in the 2020 season. Since the media release describes Gyorko and Crisp (who last played in 2016) as “freshly removed from their Major League careers,” it would seem like Gyorko could be hanging up his cleats after eight MLB seasons.
“I am hoping to provide these young players with experiences and give them knowledge on what the next level will look like and hopefully prepare them for successful careers,” Gyorko said in the press release. “I am thankful for the opportunity and look forward to gaining managerial experience, especially in my hometown, where I’ll be able to spend more time with my family.”
The news is a little surprising since Gyorko is only 32 years old, and he is coming off a very productive year. Gyorko hit .248/.333/.504 with nine home runs in 135 PA for Milwaukee last season, while playing at both corner infield positions. Back on March 7, MLBTR’s Anthony Franco listed Gyorko among his top five picks of the best remaining free agents left on the market, observing that Gyorko didn’t draw any publicly-known interest from clubs this winter. Gyorko has long been very productive against left-handed pitching, and has additional multi-positional versatility given his past experience as a second baseman and shortstop.
It could be that Gyorko hasn’t entirely closed the door on his playing career, and is perhaps just taking a season off for (as he noted in his statement) this unique chance to manage a team in his hometown. If this it for Gyorko, however, he’ll be calling it a career after hitting .245/.310/.424 over 846 games and 2983 plate appearances with the Padres, Cardinals, Dodgers, and Brewers from 2013-20.
A second-round pick for San Diego in the 2010 draft, Gyorko finished sixth in NL Rookie Of The Year voting in his debut season, which led to the Padres locking him up on a six-year deal worth slightly more than $35.5MM in April 2014. While the 2014-15 seasons were something of a struggle for Gyorko, he blossomed after a trade to St. Louis, posting a 111 OPS+/112 wRC+ and hitting .259/.331/.463 over 1321 PA with the Cards from 2016-18. After struggling in 2019, Gyorko caught on with the Brewers and delivered one more productive season, though the Brew Crew declined their $4.5MM club option on Gyorko’s services last October.
Mind boggling Gyorko doesn’t at least have an MLB opportunity. He is better than a lot of players who got minor league deals and made the team.
Yeah I can’t wrap my head around it either. There are a lot of teams that could certainly use this guy so it just doesn’t make sense. I’m a Brewer fan and I’m shocked that they didn’t re-sign him. He was one of their best hitters last year and can play multiple positions….and he wouldn’t require much of a financial commitment (comparatively). Very strange.
It probably means he is done but ok
Somebody must be spreading rumors and black balling him with the GMs or Something? Enjoyed him in a Cardinals uniform. At a time he was the best hitter on the team, And that was about 5 years ago?
@hippy what i liked most about jed as a card was his work ethic, yea he wasn’t the best player but worked his a$$ off just to be an everyday guy and had a good attitude. if it wasn’t for his coaching this season i would love for the birds to take a flyer on him.
A little competition for the Cape Cod League.
So he retired?
I don’t believe so. I’ve looked around and haven’t found anything on it. He could be unofficially retired, or he’s still looking for an MLB opportunity.
i wouldnt assume so. Gabe Kapler took a year off of playing to manage a Minor League team (Lowell I want to say?) and then came back. Jedd’s young enough where he can do the same.
The only bad part about that was is that it made Kapler think he could manage in the Majors and so far two teams in the results say otherwise
How did this guy not even sign a MiLB deal yet let alone a MLB deal
I irrationally disliked Gyorko for most of his career, but last year he was very good. I was hoping he’d get on with another team, but that just never came to fruition. Seemed like a perfect future Ranger.
He’s made over 38 million so it’s not about the money but the experience. The sinister side of me says the guys that could not pass a drug test were the ones that recently left the game. Doubt if Gyorko is an abuser or steroid man though.
He is from Morgantown WV so this probably gives him a chance to spend more time with family. Most of the teams are within a reasonable distance as well.
His first pro game playing in Pittsburgh, the closest MLB team to Morgantown West Virginia about an hour or so away, there was something like 50-60 friends and family that came to see him play. No doubt that spending time with those near and dear to him played a huge role in him accepting this gig as it became obvious to him and his agent that he wasn’t getting an offer to suit up and play this season. Doubt he is retiting and will see if he can get a contract for next season.
well then
Would love for this league to succeed. Gyrko was a good player and can’t believe he won’t get nibbles from an MLB team or two.
Sorry but the Draft league makes it sound like a beer league or a fantasy league.
Also, will accrue service time? Or is player time a different pot than manager time?
Id sign him for 1.2 mil
Financial freedom at 32 with the opportunity to retire and do something fun?
Congrats!
Is MLB requiring potential draft players to play in this league?
@bb1010 i hope not, imo this is a league for the guys that either fall in the latter half of the draft or the guys that play in areas where scouts aren’t looking at.
I also think that this year there are guys that aren’t playing HS Ball due to Covid restrictions in some states. It may get them some exposure pre draft.
I don’t think MLB should be able to tell, suggest, coerce an amateur player to play anywhere.
@bb1010 i agree with mlb shouldn’t force kids to play in the draft league, and if i was going to be drafted in the first 3 rounds i wouldn’t want to play in the draft league. what happens if your a top pick and you have a bad injury now your stock just dropped. if mlb keeps this open to all draft eligible players then i can see this working. this gives the fringe guys a real shot at impressing some scouts or if the top picks wanna play to improve there stock.
no it’s just a showcase league kinda like a long combine
Let’s go over the ground rules of the Draft League:
You can’t leave first until you chug a beer.
Any man scoring has to chug a beer.
You have to chug a beer at the top of all odd-numbered innings.
Oh, and the fourth inning is the beer inning.
@tipsy you forgot the extra innings rule,
which states that the runner that starts on 2nd must chug a pint of guinness before he can advance
players must also apply for selective service and lineup cards exchanged are only drafts and subject to change.
My team back in the 90’s baby sat a Rutgers pitcher who was going to get drafted just to keep him fresh. So many of these leagues at least around here have folded up. At one point there were a half dozen or more pretty competitive leagues but there’s only one or two left. Baseball at the amateur level has died. So this makes a lot of sense if there aren’t playing options for many of the players. I like the idea.
It is only for draft eligible players. How about college players who are not draft eligible.
I think my area still has the Atlantic Collegiate Baseball League. It’s a notch below Cape Cod. I had teammates who played in that league. I think the scouts check out the ACBL, but probably not as much as the Cape Cod league.
Jedd was absolute fire for the Cards in 2016 especially from June on…
Send Carpenter to Mars on the next launch and bring back Jedd
sending carp to mars is a bit extreme, yes he is a shell of himself but he’s a worker d is trying to get back to a productive level.
I first read he was managing a fantasy draft for the league. I thought well at least he got on a team. Nope. Always liked how he quietly came up and performed well with pop as a second baseman. Underrated for his career. Not one team threw a contract at him? On a side note Dexter Folwer is done, calling Brian Goodwin? Go Angels!