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rounds, and capping signing bonuses for undrafted free agents at $20,000.

Last year, 87% (131 of 150) of players taken between the sixth and 10th rounds were from fouryear colleges, with juniors receiving bonuses between $125,000 and $250,000. Seniors typically get less because they lack leverage.

Those college players who just miss getting drafted must decide between signing for $20,000, if offered, or returning to school. Elite high school seniors not drafted have the same decision: Take the money or stick with their college commitments.

TCU coach Jim Schlossnagle said $20,000 shouldn’t be enough to entice many players to sign, saying that up-front money doesn’t go very far when it must be used to supplement a small minorleague salary. He added that another year of seasoning in college can help a player make a faster rise through the minors.

MLB.com draft analyst Jim Callis predicted a significant number of undrafted players will swallow hard and sign.

“They’ll want to get their pro careers started,” Callis said.

For some players, returning to school would require them to pay $20,000 or more in tuition because they don’t have full scholarships. Division I teams offer partial scholarships, distributing a maximum of 11.7 among 27 players.

Callis noted that a junior who returns to school next year would be 22 when drafted in 2021. That player wouldn’t be in line for a bonus commensurate with his draft slot because MLB teams don’t place as much value on older draftees. Plus, Callis

said, the draft will be deeper next year, meaning a player who would go in the eighth round this year might not go until the 12th next year.

How college rosters are structured is anything but certain for a lot of teams. The draft isn’t until July, so it will be August before some coaches know who’s returning. Some freshmen might elect to go to a junior college if they see a long line of returning players ahead of them competing for playing time. There also will be a wave of transfers, perhaps an unprecedented number if the Division I Council votes this summer to remove the requirement that transfers sit out one year before becoming eligible.

What’s certain is there’ll be more older and experienced players in the college game for the foreseeable future, and Schlossnagle said top-tobottom talent that’s as good as ever now will only get better.

He said the slotted draft, which began in 2012, continues to be a boon to college baseball.

That’s because signing bonuses after the 10th round the last eight years have all been about the same, none more than $125,000. A lot of players who weren’t drafted as high as they thought they would be, especially pitchers, have gone the college route.