Vukovich’s MLB draft dream is fulfilled
The Major League Baseball amateur draft was already impossible to predict.
This year, though, with five rounds rather than the usual 40, a significantly reduced maximum signing bonus for undrafted players and reduced revenue for teams, it was anyone's guess as to what was going to unfurl over the event's two days. Those left in the dark included even the draftees themselves.
“As far as my expectations, I just sort of was going in with an open mind,” said AJ Vukovich, a senior at East Troy High School who was considered one of the top prep bats in this year's draft. “I was absolutely unsure about what would happen.”
In what was the most unpredictable installment in recent memory of an already-incalculable draft, Vukovich's phone eventually buzzed with the call of a lifetime.
“My advisor called and said the Arizona Diamondbacks wanted to take me with the 119th pick,” Vukovich said. That's just what happened, too. Vukovich became the latest southeastern Wisconsin player to be a highround draft pick out of high school, following the likes of Gavin Lux and Jarred Kelenic in the last five years, when Vukovich was announced as the Diamondbacks fourth-round pick Thursday night.
“It was a whirlwind,” Vukovich said. “But in the end, Arizona called and said they wanted to take me. We all just went over to the TV after that and went crazy when my name popped up.”
Of the many teams that talked with Vukovich in the pre-draft process, the Diamondbacks were among the most active. They came to Vukovich's home in Mukwonago for a visit in the fall and would check in regularly after that. As the draft approached, an area scout set up a Zoom call with Vukovich.
But as the second round became the third and the third became the fourth, Vukovich questioned whether he'd get the call.
“I definitely thought I'd be getting calls earlier than I did,” he said. “We had heard some things, some rumblings that there would be some really good players going later rounds with a lot of teams going after under-slot guys early. I had my phone on me the whole time just in case.”
With fewer than 50 selections left to go midway through the fourth round, the question wasn't just whether Vukovich would be taken, but also, if drafted, would it be by a team and a slot value that could match what he sought in a bonus.
“Honestly, through it all I was just keeping that open mind,” Vukovich said. “I wasn't too nervous or anything. I've been working toward this for a while, but if it's meant to be, it's meant to be.”
Vukovich had a good fallback plan, a scholarship to play at the University of Louisville, one of the premier programs.
It was for that reason Vukovich and other top high school players held some leverage in draft negotiations; had a team called offering below slot value or with a bonus that didn't meet what a player like Vukovich was looking for, he could simply turn it down and go to Louisville.
The slot value for Vukovich's pick is $483,000. Negotiations are underway between Vukovich's agent and the Diamondbacks and early signs seem to show that he is hopeful about striking a deal to become a pro.
“Obviously, if everything is right and it's the right fit, I want to sign,” Vukovich said. “But it has to be the right fit. Louisville is a great opportunity, a once-in-alifetime thing to pass up, but if everything gets worked out the way me and advisor planned before the draft, then I'll sign.”