Prep SS Wolters Ruled Ineligible



UPDATE: This story has been updated here.

San Diego area prep shortstop Tony Wolters, the MVP of last summer's Aflac All-America game who is projected to go in the first two rounds of the 2010 draft, has been ruled ineligible by the local section of the California Interscholastic Federation. His season for Rancho Buena Vista High in Vista, Calif., is apparently over due to his participation in an area workout organized by the Toronto Blue Jays.

Wolters' father Kelly, in an email to Baseball America, said his son was ruled ineligible by local CIF commissioner Dennis Ackerman after a report on MLB.com that Wolters attended the Blue Jays' workout. Tony Wolters was ruled to have participated in a tryout, which is against CIF regulations. CIF officials at the state office in Sacramento declined comment, and a phone message for Ackerman had yet to be returned. The Wolters disputed that the workout he went to met the standards of a "tryout" which would make him ineligible.

In our Draft Preview issue that went to press Thursday, Wolters ranked as the No. 6 shortstop available in the draft, third among prep players after Florida high schoolers Manny Machado and Yordy Cabrera. The 5-foot-10, 165-pound lefthanded hitter is a good hitter with a quick bat and excellent arm strength. He projects as a second baseman in pro ball, as his range is below-average.

Ackerman has a son who plays for rival Poway High, and Ackerman himself has been subject to criticism that he has made rulings favoring Poway. Poway and Rancho Buena Vista play in the same Palomar division.

Wolters—who spoke with BA's Conor Glassey in early April—was profiled here on BA's Draft Blog. The University of San Diego recruit is now free to do as many workouts as he likes, but his dreams of winning a section title are over.



Comments

Comments will be monitored prior to being added to the site. Comments that include profanity or personal attacks or other inappropriate comments or material will be rejected. Additionally, entries that are unsigned or contain "signatures" by someone other than the actual author will be removed.

We have chosen to open up commenting to everyone, so comment away! We want to hear from each and every one of you! Leave a comment.

8 Comments

Ackerman seems to make a lot of decisions that benefit Poway HS, strange the way that happens isn't it?

This is not Tony Wolters fault.  Some accountability should go back on the scouts who organized ths event.  I know Tony has so much baseball ahead of him and this might not seem like much but it is!  Tony is the type of kid that wants to win CIF with the friends that he has been practicing with all year and most of his life.  Just a shame for Ackerman to take this opportunity away from him.  On top of that if you are going to take it away then answer questions about it! 

What Wolters did is similar to what every elite prep baseball player has done dating back several years….. Why this kid now?

So much for preparatory governing bodies actually allowing someone to take the necessary steps to improve their chances for employment in the future.

bbfan hit it on the head.  Why this kid.  Tony is a stud!!!!

[...] Baseball America reported that San Diego area shortstop Tony Wolters had been suspended by the California Interscholastic Federation for his participation in a scout-organized workout [...]

Dennis Ackerman is trying to prove that the CIF is a cartel. Aside from giving favoritism to his son's school, he has also shown a overt willingness to go after inner-city school basketball players who try to transfer out of private schools back to their local public school. Perhaps Rancho Buena Vista should refuse to play Poway as a form of protest. It's too bad, I'm sure the Poway players want to play against the best competition possible. This is all so petty. No wonder kids don't play baseball anymore – the Little League Dads have taken over the high school governing boards. Let the kids play! 

The rule is very clear.  All players usually wait until their high school season is over to do private tryouts.  East coast kids usually cant as their seasons go past the Draft date at times.  Advisors usually help the player decide how to handle this.  Either Wolters does not have an advisor, OR he hired someone who gave him VERY bad advice.  I know a few advisor/agents out there and from what I hear, the people in that business these days are more hell bent on getting the player exposure rather than making sure they retain eligibility.  Wolters is lucky this doesnt mess with his college eligibility, as that would hurt is financial leverage once drafted.  Any agent.advisor should know this, and if Wolters has one, he should fire this person ASAP!  This kid deserves better as he has a bright future ahead of him.


What Are Your Thoughts?

• Line and paragraph breaks are automatic
• Your e-mail address will never be displayed











About This Blog

  • The Draft Blog is a source of frequent updates about the draft and the top prospects eligible for the draft. If you have questions or comments you can e-mail them to draftblog@baseballamerica.com.

Categories

Archives

Syndicate This Blog

Blogs

BaseballAmerica.com

Search This Blog