Gap narrows between NCAA and MLB

There was a time in the not-so-distant past that many Major League Baseball teams looked at their college baseball counterparts with a degree of skepticism.

There were the metal bats, the shorter schedule and a sense that nothing could replace the seasoning that came with years of grinding through professional baseball's minor leagues.

Not anymore.

Thanks to a variety of factors — especially money and technology — the MLB and NCAA versions of baseball have never been more similar. There's also been more movement between the two versions of the sport in recent years.

It's part of the reason Tony Vitello is now the manager of the San Francisco Giants, despite never working or playing for a professional organization before he was hired — a first in MLB history.

It's also a factor in why Athletics slugger Nick Kurtz was the American League Rookie of the Year in 2025, barely a year after finishing a decorated college career at Wake Forest.

"The college game has definitely taken a bigger step toward the pro game — mainly because of the almighty dollar," said Arizona State coach Willie Bloomquist, who played 14 big league seasons.

"Essentially, what's happened, the Power 4 Conferences (the SEC, ACC, Big 12 and Big Ten) are basically the minor leagues."

Athletics general manager David Forst — who selected Kurtz with the No 4 overall pick in the 2024 draft — said the first baseman's quick rise through the minors made him realize how good college baseball had become. Kurtz needed just 210 plate appearances in the minors before dominating MLB pitching, batting .290 with 36 homers and 86 RBIs over 117 games in 2025.

"There's no doubt that top-level college baseball is High-A or Double-A now. It's really close," Forst said. "I never would have imagined a player like Nick Kurtz coming to the big leagues for us 11 months after he was drafted.

"That was unthinkable when I first started doing this. The timeline is squashed, because these guys are coming out of college so ready, so physically advanced. Some of them — frankly — don't need the minor league at-bats they used to need."

One reason the college game has improved so much is an influx of cash. Coaching salaries have exploded over the past few decades: LSU's Jay Johnson is at the top of the scale at more than $3 million per year, while Mississippi State's Brian O'Connor is second at $2.9 million.

Those are outliers, but it's not uncommon for power conference coaches to make $1 million or more.