Is N.C. State responsible for his fall?
N.C. State junior Andrew
Brackman was taken by the Yankees as the last pick of the first round of the
MLB Draft. Unless something very unusual happens,
Brackman’s
Wolfpack Basketball and Baseball careers are over. The only hope for
Wolfpack fans is that the Yankees won’t sign him before the August 15 deadline… Don’t count on that happening. Of course, under NCAA rules,
Brackman still has basketball eligibility even if he signs with the Yanks. George
Steinbrenner has done many stupid things during his tenure as Yankee owner; allowing a first round draft selection to risk injury while playing college hoops is not one of them. With his days at N.C. State seemingly over, one has to ask what caused
Brackman to fall from a possible top-three pick to 30
th? A drop that based on figures from “
The Baseball Analysts”, likely cost
Brackman $2 million in signing bonuses.
After a freshman season that saw
Brackman post an impressive 4-0 record with a 2.25 ERA after he finished with basketball, his sophomore season was a disaster with
Brackman appearing in only seven games before the discovery of a stress fracture in his hip ended his season. After he decided to
fore go his junior year of basketball to concentrate on baseball, the general thought was that
Brackman would have a breakout junior season on the mound. Unfortunately, after posting a 6-4 record and 3.81 ERA in 78 innings of work, injury once again ended
Brackman’s season prematurely. Although the sore arm, which N.C. State officials indicate should be fine with rest, no doubt scared away most
MLB scouts, the fact that his fastball no longer had the same zip as in previous seasons was likely a major factor in has slip to 30
th.
...Focusing on baseball forced Brackman to change the way he trains. No more late night powerlifting sessions - those made him too bulky, costing him flexibility in his arm and zip from his fastball. Instead, his workouts focus on his lower body, so he can generate a stronger leg push when he winds, kicks and delivers...
Of course having
Scott Boras as an “advisor” probably scared a few teams off.
In my analysis,
Brackman is paying the price for his attempt at being a two-sport star. However, N.C. State bears some of the responsibility for his fall in the draft. It’s easy to see a 6’ 10” basketball player and think “post player” Most people forget that
Brackman had spent his high school hoops career as a guard. His sudden growth spurt instantly got everyone thinking that he was a post player… just one problem. He still had the body frame of a guard. Whether it was encouragement from Herb
Sendek, or the his own realization that he was being pushed around in the paint,
Brackman decided that he needed to bulk up between his freshman and sophomore seasons. What concerns me is that there was apparently no thought on the impact
Brackman’s weight training program would have on his baseball career. For this, I blame Coach
Avent and Coach
Sendek for apparently not discussing what was in
Brackman’s best interest. Folks, there is nothing wrong with having a 6’ 10” guard on the basketball team, but there is something terribly wrong with not taking the time to advise and supervise a top baseball prospect on how to properly develop his body. While I am not sure what expertise N.C. State’s weight training staff has on such matters, I am sure that a little bit of research would have put
Brackman’s weight training program on the right track.
I hope
Brackman does well. As a lifelong Braves fan, it pains me to consider rooting for the Yankees, but I guess I can pull for them every fifth day.
Career Baseball Stats from
GoPack.com-YR--ERA-W-L-AP-GS-CG-SV--IP---H--R-ER-BB-SO-2B-3B-HR-AB---Avg-WP-HB-BK'05 2.09 4-0 10 07 00 00 43.0 32 13 10 18 43 05 00 00 148 .216 03 04 2
