Thanks to money and technology, the MLB and NCAA versions of baseball have never been more similar. There’s also been more movement between the two versions of the sport in recent years.
Hezbollah official says the group won't abide by any agreements from Lebanon-Israel talks in the US
Florida teen charged with sexually assaulting and killing stepsister Anna Kepner on cruise ship
Trump tips DoorDash driver $100 for delivering McDonald's to Oval Office
Famed ESPN college basketball voice Dick Vitale facing another battle with cancer
Dave Chappelle stands firm through backlash and considers revisiting ‘Chappelle’s Show’
AP Entertainment Wire
US wholesale prices surged 4% last month after the war in Iran sent energy prices flying
Humanoid robots run a Chinese half-marathon alongside flesh-and-blood competitors
How a remote camera captured the Artemis II launch and startled birds
The World in Pictures
Iran war's global energy crisis sharpens China’s advantage in clean tech
Hearing aids can seem like a big step. This NYC Ballet principal dancer doesn't regret taking it
Women in perimenopause dealing with hot flashes and sleep issues are being courted to buy products
Coachella looks like fun and glamour for influencers. Behind the scenes, they fiercely strategize
Raffle winner left stunned after scooping a $1M Picasso with a $117 ticket
Pope Leo XIV in Algeria walks in footsteps of his spiritual father, St. Augustine
Diplomats try to arrange second round of US-Iran talks during first full day of American blockade
The Afternoon Wire
Voting for California governor begins in a month. Here are the candidates in the running
Appeals court orders judge to end contempt investigation of Trump administration deportation flights
Tyrese Haliburton says it's shingles, not Achilles recovery, that will test him this offseason
Phil Collins, Iron Maiden, Sade, Oasis, Wu-Tang Clan and Luther Vandross get into Rock Hall
How a US blockade near the Strait of Hormuz could work and the impact ahead for the global economy
People 'bathe' in nature to get respite from chaotic news cycle
It's music festival season. How to stay safe and healthy while enjoying the show
Inspired by Picasso, an AP photographer visualizes a blind person ‘seeing’ art
Iran war's global energy crisis sharpens China’s advantage in clean tech
Hearing aids can seem like a big step. This NYC Ballet principal dancer doesn't regret taking it
Women in perimenopause dealing with hot flashes and sleep issues are being courted to buy products
Coachella looks like fun and glamour for influencers. Behind the scenes, they fiercely strategize
Raffle winner left stunned after scooping a $1M Picasso with a $117 ticket
Pope Leo XIV in Algeria walks in footsteps of his spiritual father, St. Augustine
San Francisco Giants manager Tony Vitello reaches out to shake hands with Yankees manager Aaron Boone during introductions before the San Francisco Giants played the New York Yankees in their 2026 Opening Day at Oracle Park in San Francisco, on Wednesday, March 25, 2026.
Oakland Athletics’ Nick Kurtz reacts after hitting a solo home run during the third inning of a baseball game against the New York Mets, Sunday, April 12, 2026, in New York.
San Francisco Giants pitcher Ryan Borucki, right, talks with Matt Chapman, center, and Patrick Bailey during the seventh inning of a baseball game against the New York Phillies in San Francisco, Monday, April 6, 2026.
San Francisco Giants manager Tony Vitello reaches out to shake hands with Yankees manager Aaron Boone during introductions before the San Francisco Giants played the New York Yankees in their 2026 Opening Day at Oracle Park in San Francisco, on Wednesday, March 25, 2026.
San Francisco Giants manager Tony Vitello reaches out to shake hands with Yankees manager Aaron Boone during introductions before the San Francisco Giants played the New York Yankees in their 2026 Opening Day at Oracle Park in San Francisco, on Wednesday, March 25, 2026.
Oakland Athletics’ Nick Kurtz reacts after hitting a solo home run during the third inning of a baseball game against the New York Mets, Sunday, April 12, 2026, in New York.
Oakland Athletics’ Nick Kurtz reacts after hitting a solo home run during the third inning of a baseball game against the New York Mets, Sunday, April 12, 2026, in New York.
San Francisco Giants pitcher Ryan Borucki, right, talks with Matt Chapman, center, and Patrick Bailey during the seventh inning of a baseball game against the New York Phillies in San Francisco, Monday, April 6, 2026.
San Francisco Giants pitcher Ryan Borucki, right, talks with Matt Chapman, center, and Patrick Bailey during the seventh inning of a baseball game against the New York Phillies in San Francisco, Monday, April 6, 2026.
teams looked at their college baseball counterparts with a degree of skepticism. There were the metal bats, the shorter schedule and a sense that nothing could replace the seasoning that came with years of grinding through professional baseball’s minor leagues.
Thanks to a variety of factors — especially money and technology — the MLB and NCAA versions of baseball have never been more similar. There’s also been more movement between the two versions of the sport in recent years.
despite never working or playing for a professional organization before he was hired — a first in MLB history. It’s also a factor in why Athletics slugger Nick Kurtz
“The college game has definitely taken a bigger step toward the pro game — mainly because of the almighty dollar,” said Arizona State coach Willie Bloomquist, who played 14 big league seasons.
Athletics general manager David Forst — who selected Kurtz with the No. 4 overall pick in the 2024 draft — said the first baseman’s quick rise through the minors made him realize how good college baseball had become. Kurtz needed just 210 plate appearances in the minors before dominating MLB pitching, batting .290 with 36 homers and 86 RBIs over 117 games in 2025.
“There’s no doubt that top-level college baseball is High-A or Double-A now. It’s really close,” Forst said. “I never would have imagined a player like Nick Kurtz coming to the big leagues for us 11 months after he was drafted. “That was unthinkable when I first started doing this. The timeline is squashed because these guys are coming out of college so ready, so physically advanced. Some of them — frankly — don’t need the minor league at-bats they used to need.” One reason the college game has improved so much is an influx of cash. Coaching salaries have exploded over the past few decades:
Those are outliers, but it’s not uncommon for power conference coaches to make more than $1 million. The highest paid MLB managers make around $8 million per season, but top assistants like pitching and hitting coaches usually make six figures. The advent of NIL money has also made playing college baseball more lucrative, even if payouts lag well behind their football and basketball counterparts. There’s also the fact that top-level NCAA programs are investing in technology. “We have one of the better pitching labs on the West Coast,” Bloomquist said. “I think it would rival a lot of professional organizations. From a data standpoint, it’s all trickled down to the college level.”
After retiring as a player, Bloomquist worked in the Arizona Diamondbacks’ front office before getting hired by the Sun Devils. His pitching coach — Jeremy Accardo — spent 18 years in professional baseball as a player and coach. Bloomquist said that MLB teams have become more comfortable trusting NCAA programs to develop professional talent instead of taking the risk of drafting an unproven 18-year-old straight out of high school. He added that it’s probably one of the reasons that MLB
“These guys trust programs,” Bloomquist said. “They say, ‘We’ll just watch them in college in three years at a Power 4 program, see how they development and then we’ll go get them.’”
Georgia baseball coach Wes Johnson is another coach who has bounced between MLB and NCAA with success at both levels. He was hired as the pitching coach for the Minnesota Twins and had a strong 3 1/2-year run between 2019 and 2022 before. He helped develop 2025 NL Cy Young Award winner Paul Skenes as LSU’s pitching coach before landing the head job with the Bulldogs. Johnson said there’s little doubt that the college and pro games have never been more similar, but added that there are still real differences for players and coaches. The biggest is the schedule. In college, the condensed schedule makes all 56 regular-season games feel huge. A three-game losing streak is the end of the world. In professional baseball, it’s just a small bump in the road.
“With the Twins, we played 33 spring games, then played 162 in the season and then made the playoffs,” Johnson said. “It’s every day there. That’s the hardest challenge you have when you go from college to the big leagues. We won 101 games in 2019 . That means we only lost 61 games.
Bloomquist agreed that the schedule is much different. He said age is a factor as well. “There’s a different style in college than there is in professional baseball — to an extent that’s accurate,” Bloomquist said. “There’s an intensity in college, motivating 18 to 20 year olds, as opposed to guys who are making $20 million. Can you relate to those guys in pro ball?”
San Francisco Giants third baseman Matt Chapman played in college at Cal State Fullerton before becoming a five-time Gold Glove winner the big leagues. Even though there are some differences — like many more native Spanish speakers in professional baseball — he wasn’t worried about Vitello’s transition.
“Winning baseball looks the same,” Chapman said. “It’s pitching and defense, knowing how to run the bases and then managing personalities. He has a lot of experience with that. “There will be a learning curve in some areas. You just can’t fully know how to run a Major League clubhouse unless you’ve been in one. But it’s not foreign to him. He’s a baseball guy.”
Brandt is an Associated Press sports writer based in Phoenix. He covers a wide variety of sports including the NBA, NFL and MLB.
Willie Bloomquist Baseball Tony Vitello Matt Chapman David Forst San Francisco Giants Minor League Baseball MLB California Arizona AZ State Wire Sports Paul Skenes Brian Oconnor Education Jay Johnson Jeremy Accardo Wes Johnson Minnesota Twins Wake Forest Demon Deacons MLB Baseball
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
EXCLUSIVE: MiniLuxe Names NCAA Basketball Champion Kiki Rice Brand AmbassadorMiniLuxe taps NCAA basketball champion Kiki Rice to become its inaugural brand ambassador, following UCLA's big win.
Read more »
2025 Conference Champion, NCAA Tournament Team Set to Join New League in 2027The Gauchos will rejoin the WCC as one of 12 members
Read more »
NBA Mock Draft: First Board With Lottery Odds, Post-NCAA Tournament ProjectionsAfter the consensus top three picks—AJ Dybantsa, Darryn Peterson and Cameron Boozer—some players made big moves with strong March Madness showings.
Read more »
2026 MLB Power Rankings: What Are The Injuries To Watch For All 30 Teams?Our latest MLB power rankings and how injuries have already affected every team so far.
Read more »
Iowa’s 2022 Tampering Case Resolution Proves NCAA’s Infractions Process Is BrokenIt took four years and vacated four wins, which shows the major disconnect between NCAA Enforcement and the realities of the transfer portal era.
Read more »
Duke's Scheyer Determined Following Elite Eight HeartbreakDuke underwent NCAA Tournament heartbreak for the second consecutive year.
Read more »