Draft Pick Discussion, Rounds 1-5; Latest -- Dylan Covey doing well at U of San Diego

[MNBrew]

With a major-league medical staff, I doubt the Brewers were scared at all about Covey's diabetes. If it's a new enough diagnosis, I'm wondering if it was Covey who was most scared about his diabetes.

 

Covey was home-schooled. It's not uncommon for there to be a higher level of sheltering of the kids in those situations, which could mean the diabetes thing may have really throttled Covey's comfort zone. If the diabetes thing spooked him, he may have felt a whole lot more comfortable being in college at San Diego -- only 2 hours from home -- for the whole next academic year rather than being a long way away from home and all that would go with the first year of pro ball.

 

The latest BaseballBeginnings tweet says the Brewers did not pull their offer, btw. LINK

[1Badgerfan]

I really can't figure out why the whole type 1 diabetes is relevant. There are other type 1 diabetics in pro sports including pitchers, quarterbacks and NBA players. I wouldn't think it would affect the Brewers wanting to sign him. Perhaps it changed his outlook on life a little as it can cause problems later in life, but I know a ton of type 1 diabetics in their 30s (including my wife) do to a ton of volunteer work for Juvenile diabetes Research foundation JDRF and you wouldn't even know it except for a pump on their hip. Heck I just watched a bunch of them ride 100 miles in a charity ride this weekend. It isn't like it hinders your athletic ability. I also don't get why he wouldn't want to go pro then and have some of the best Dr's and nutritionists available to him to help him with this new development.

[Point Beer Is Best]

Some will want to rag on the Brewers for not getting him signed, but as others have mentioned the Coveys stand to lose a great deal. How much can he really improve his draft stock? They basically had a $2 million Golden Ticket in hand. But we don't know which side walked away yet. Either the Coveys were unrealistic in their demands at the last minute or the news of his diabetes diagnosis scared the Brewers off.

[crewcrazy]

Haudricourt tweets that it was a Covey family decision to not sign:

 

With diagnosis of diabetes, the Covey family decided it would be best for Dylan to stay nearby at U. of San Diego rather than go into minors

[And That]

Covey decided not to sign with the Brewers because he thought he could deal better with diabetes on campus.

“The news was such a shock to me,” Dylan Covey

told Baseball Beginnings Monday night. “It explained a lot of what went

on late in the season. At this point, it’s going to take about six

months to get used to the treatment cycle. I’ve got about six months

till the college season begins. This is all new stuff and a lot of it is

hard to remember. I just felt like it was going to be easier to get

used to what this lifestyle is going to be in college than in pro ball.”

Darrell Covey said the Brewers and Dylan were close to signing Saturday night and didn’t expect any complications.

“The Brewers have been very supportive through

this whole ordeal,” Darrell told Baseball Beginnings. “A few days ago

everyone was convinced Dylan would sign without a hitch. As time went

by, the Brewers had to do some of their own due diligence to figure out

what it would take to take care of Dylan. They still wanted him and were

still convinced he would be a good big league pitcher. As time went on,

we were discussing the idea of having him go to school, being in a more

controlled environment from our point of view, for his health. The

unfortunate point of view is we do not have time to think about this

stuff. The bottom line is that it was Dylan’s call. The bottom line is

Dylan was leading the charge to go to school.”

[GB12]

Wait, does this not go against NCAA regulations in some way? He was given stuff from a pro team (tickets to that game he was like 5th row and such), isn't that a violation of NCAA policy? That's how it is with football and basketball, why is baseball any different?

 

I know this happens often, but I don't understand how that flies.

[Funketown]

I really can't figure out why the whole type 1 diabetes is relevant. There are other type 1 diabetics in pro sports including pitchers, quarterbacks and NBA players. I wouldn't think it would affect the Brewers wanting to sign him.

It's a life changing diagnosis. You never know what goes through his mind, but I'm guessing both Covey and his family feel that he is better off staying close to home while he learns to live with diabetes. Unfortunate as it is, this does lower Covey's stock. Hopefully he can work through this and pitch like a stud at San Diego.

[logan82]

I am not sure how he thinks getting used to it in college would be any easier. How much would he have really played this year anyway? My guess is that this late in the season he would not have pitched at all.

 

Anyway, this is a huge shock.

[MNBrew]

College for him is 2 hours from home every day, not through-the-night bus rides from one small town to the next all spring in some unfamiliar (& potentially distant) part of the country.

[battlekow]

Haudricourt:

"This was crushing, to both us and the Brewers," said Darrell Covey. "We were all in shock. It had nothing to do with money."

[YoungGeezy]

This is the Covey exclusive

 

http://baseballbeginnings...16/dylan-covey-exclusive

 

It explain how diabetes his related. Really as heart broken I am about him not signing, to me me it is very understandable and he did the right thing. People may disagree or say "whats the big deal" but if you put yourself in his shoes you'd understand. Type A diabetes is a [expletive deleted] to have and it takes awhile to adjust, your whole life changes. So yes there are pro players who battle through it without a problem but that is because they learned to deal with it long ago. It is really hard to claim that the pros would make the transition to his new life easier than it would be in college. I wish him the best and we will see what happens in 3 years

 

 

(edit: language... please don't circumvent the cuss filter --1992)

[stalton]

As a newly diagnosed Diabetic (Type 1-ish) I can see Covey's perspective. The day I found out I was diabetic, it was a tragic and life changing day for me. How many current baseball players with Diabetes found out just before they signed their first professional contract? I'm not sure what I would do in his shoes, but certainly understand it and empathize.

[logan82]

College for him is 2 hours from home every day, not through-the-night bus rides from one small town to the next all spring in some unfamiliar (& potentially distant) part of the country.

He has to be ready for school in about a month(give or take) and he could stay home and get ready for just baseball in about 6 months. I doubt he makes a 2 hour commute each day to school.

[brosto1]

I am a Type 2 diabetic and it scared me big time. Being diagnosed Type 1 would have been even worse for me. I immediately changed my diet and have been fortunate enough to keep things in check since being diagnosed. It was not easy changing my entire diet and it took me about five months to feel comfortable with what I should eat when I was not in my home. Even foods that many would think are healthy, are not healthy for someone with diabetes. I can definitely understand why he would decide to go to San Diego. Prayers for him and his family in this unfortunate turn of events.

[1Badgerfan]

Funketown]

I really can't figure out why the whole type 1 diabetes is relevant. There are other type 1 diabetics in pro sports including pitchers, quarterbacks and NBA players. I wouldn't think it would affect the Brewers wanting to sign him.

It's a life changing diagnosis. You never know what goes through his mind, but I'm guessing both Covey and his family feel that he is better off staying close to home while he learns to live with diabetes. Unfortunate as it is, this does lower Covey's stock. Hopefully he can work through this and pitch like a stud at San Diego.

I was more responding to the fact that some here thought the Brewers would shy away from him due to the diagnosis. I can understand why he might want to be closer to home, although I don't know that being 2 hours away really makes a difference. Diabetes is something you have to deal with on a continual basis, you can't go home to deal with it. I guess being close to family and to see them on weekends and such for support can help I think it is unfortunate that in a circumstance like this, an arbitrary deadline causes someone to make a decision prematurely. Fortunately with current technology he can lead as close to a normal life as possible until they find a cure.

[biedergb]

This is reassuring as a fan:

"We felt the Brewers were more than fair and compassionate in this process,” Darrell Covey said. “We’d be honored to talk to the Brewers again. They were willing to bend over backwards.”

[Never Outhustled]

I can't think of a better way to put myself in position to deal with a life altering medical issue than to put $2 million dollars in my pocket. A truely idiotic descision by the Covey family. How to deal with diabetes: be 2 hours from home, which is too far to have any real support, or be rich. Should have been an easy descision.

 

Brandon Morrow deals with the same issue, and the Brewers had a minor leaguer several years ago who had it too.

[MNBrew]

College for him is 2 hours from home every day, not through-the-night bus rides from one small town to the next all spring in some unfamiliar (& potentially distant) part of the country.

He has to be ready for school in about a month(give or take) and he could stay home and get ready for just baseball in about 6 months. I doubt he makes a 2 hour commute each day to school.

I'm suggesting that there's a comfort & predictability to the academic calendar and to being only 2 hours from home as he gets used to dealing w/ diabetes. He still has being a big-league pitcher clearly in his sights. Obviously he still has to make adjustments on lots of levels. By the time his next baseball season formally starts, he'll have made so many of those adjustments, all while living away from home. That's not the same growth curve as adjusting while staying home for 6 months and then leaving for spring training.

 

Your last sentence sure seems unnecessarily patronizing and hardly helps advance the discussion productively.

[hawing]

I can see where Dylan's coming from. When my S.O. was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes last year, several weeks passed before our dual freak-out began to subside, and our household was not mulling over a long-term, athletics-based and travel-heavy commitment. I certainly would not have wanted to make decisions as major as a career-launcher at that time if I could possibly help it.

 

The S.O. was told to expect about a six month adjustment period, and that's about how it went. He's currently managing it with diet and exercise (after about six months of prescription meds), but I still knock on wood allllll the time.

 

None of us knows the extent of Dylan's diabetes (it affects each patient differently), but it need not automatically preclude a successful athletic career for him. Of course, this is stunningly bad timing for the Brewers. It would be nice if the Coveys eventually remembered the Brewers' efforts once he's got this under control, but there's no guarantee of that.

 

Why can't we have nice things?

[Never Outhustled]

College for him is 2 hours from home every day, not through-the-night bus rides from one small town to the next all spring in some unfamiliar (& potentially distant) part of the country.

 

He's going to be playing baseball in college, which means he'll have the same long bus rides, a hectic and constantly changing academic responsibilities, but he won't have $2 million while he tries to manage it all.

[YoungGeezy]

logan3825[/b]]

MNBrew[/b]]College for him is 2 hours from home every day, not through-the-night bus rides from one small town to the next all spring in some unfamiliar (& potentially distant) part of the country.

He has to be ready for school in about a month(give or take) and he could stay home and get ready for just baseball in about 6 months. I doubt he makes a 2 hour commute each day to school.

haha, the kid just found out he had type 1 diabetes, that is not a easy thing to deal with. Yeah he could have just stayed home for 6 months but after that he is all alone and away from his family for the next 7 months. Even if it is a 2 hour drive he still has the option to go home whenever he wants, if he signed all he gets to do is live on a bus and/or hotel. The kid was willing to turned down over 2 million dollars because he truely felt that it was the right decision so it is crazy to sit here and second guess him. Plus you have much more support at a college than you do in the pros. College athletes get babied, and that is just D-III, D-I they get everything they want and all the help they need.

 

Sidenote, comparing this to Morrow is absurd. Morrow didn't find out within a day or two of the signing deadline. It is a life changing/ eye opening moment for the kid, no reason to judge him or insult his family. Business wise yes, bad decison, life wise, correct decision. Not everything in life is completely about money, he did what he felt he needed to do. Who are you to judge X ellence. If you didn't find out that you had type one diabetes right before the signing deadline you can't. Plus he talked to Brandon Morrow and Morrow helped him come to his conclusion.

[Hofbraunhaus]

This is disappointing but I understand his decision. It's good to see that the Brewers made their best effort to sign him and hopefully it works out for both the Brewers and Covey.

[Diskono]

He's going to be playing baseball in college, which means he'll have the same long bus rides, a hectic and constantly changing academic responsibilities, but he won't have $2 million while he tries to manage it all.

Actually, it seems like the AZ schedule would be a lot easier to deal with - still close-ish to home, no bus rides longer than across town (aside from the odd trip to Tucson). But I'm not going to argue - their decision makes sense, and we have no idea what all was considered.

[hawing]

A truely idiotic descision by the Covey family.

It's your prerogative to opt for the money for yourself, but calling the Coveys idiotic is harsh and unnecessary.

[TooLiveBrew]

Well this all stinks, for Dylan, his family, and the Brewers. Hope things work out well for Covey, & for the Brewers in next year's draft.