Cardinals Third-Rounder Megill will Return to School

Trevor Megill, a righthanded pitcher from Loyola Marymount University who was selected by the St. Louis Cardinals with their third-round pick in the MLB Draft earlier this month, has notified the Cards that he’ll be returning to school for his senior season and neglecting the opportunity to join their organization.

Megill, a 6-foot-8, 235-pound junior, had Tommy John surgery in May of 2013, and he missed the entire 2014 season. Prior to the surgery, however, he had a great track record; in 2013, he had a 2.72 ERA and held opponents to a .188 average. Megill apparently wanted more than the $504,400 slot, although with him coming off the surgery it’s possible that the Cardinals believed that he would be inclined to avoid all risk and sign for under slot.

We don’t know for sure with Megill, but many times in these types of situations, the player is being told by their advisor that they can go back to school and end up as a first-rounder in the next draft. This is particularly true for pitchers, especially a guy in Megill’s situation who can add strength to his big frame through rehab and come back throwing harder.

As a result of Megill’s decision, the Cardinals will be granted a compensatory pick following the third round in next year’s draft. However, they’ll lose the money that was slotted for him, which could be harmful to their signing efforts if they were planning on getting him for under slot.