Not So “Junior” College Baseball
The Significance of Two-Year College Programs in the MLB
By FieldLevel
A number of players in this year’s upcoming tournament will be playing out their final games as
collegiate athletes. Although a good number of college athletes move on to careers “in something
other than sports” (as the NCAA television advertising campaign states), a small minority of NCAA
baseball players have the opportunity to turn pro. While a great deal of attention is focused upon
the excitement and successes of NCAA baseball during the College World Series, a potentially
more significant game is being overlooked. The Junior College World Series features the best
schools, players, and coaches from the National Junior College Athletic Association which is
comprised of nearly 400 baseball programs across the country. Although the NCAA has over 900
schools that field a varsity baseball team, the NJCAA along with the California Community College
Athletic Association (CCCAA) and Northwest Athletic Conference (NWAC) may possess
comparable, if not superior talent to that of NCAA baseball teams. While most supremely-talented
athletes choose to attend NCAA schools in most sports to compete against the best intercollegiate
talent and receive the best coaching, it can be argued that, when it comes to baseball, this may
not be the case.
First off, baseball is probably the most unique and complex sport when it comes to amateurism
and professionalism. When compared to basketball and football, baseball is the only sport where
athletes can be drafted directly out of high school as well as two-years and four-year colleges.
Athletes must be one year removed or three years removed from high school to be eligible for
the drafts in the NBA and NFL, respectively. However, Major League Baseball states that athletes
who attend a four-year institution are not eligible for the draft until they have completed their
junior year but there are no such restrictions on junior or community colleges. Due to these
restrictions, junior and community college baseball programs are ripe with talent and very
attractive to dedicated athletes who want to compete at the professional level. Players at the