Devin Shepherd: Safe At Home?

[DAngelus]

So I decided to do some research on the man who combines my favorite sport and my favorite reality show…and who was a flop at one and is driving me nuts in the other.

 

Devin, originally from Oxnard, California, was a high-school star, and the fifth-round pick of the Minnesota Twins in the 2006 MLB draft. (Selected a few picks after the Rangers took Chris Davis; the next future star selected would be Doug Fister, by the Mariners in the 7th round.) Here is Devin's thread on a Twins fan board, with some early glimpses of the man who was to form more alliances than S10 Brian:

 

Shepherd has been on the prospect map for awhile, playing in USA Baseball-sponsored events domestically and internationally, and has earned a reputation as a star of showcase events. Last summer provided two highlights, as Shepherd was the MVP of the Aflac Classic in Aberdeen, Md., then won the home run derby at Team One Baseball's Cape Cod High School Classic. To his detractors, though, he's a showcase and batting-practice player who doesn't carry his tools into games.

 

A flashy show-off who doesn't give his all for the team?  Oh, Devin…say it isn't so.

 

Devin had made a commitment to play college baseball at the University of Oklahoma, but was considered "signable" at the right price.  (He turned out to be the only Twins draftee that year who didn't sign.) The thread quotes an article in the Ventura County Star:

 

As he walked out of a crowded ballroom at the Wyndham Hotel in Albuquerque, N.M., on Tuesday afternoon, Devin Shepherd reached for his sunglasses.

 

"I had to put on my shades, take a deep breath and reflect on things because there were a lot of tears coming out," said 6-foot-3, 225-pound Shepherd, who is in New Mexico for the Playstation All-American game. "I was crying for happiness and for sadness. I was very grateful God blessed me to be drafted, but I was a little disappointed because I thought I would go higher."

 

Yep, Devin had been trying to leverage that Oklahoma scholarship offer, apparently unsuccessfully.  The thread quotes an interview with James Hale at Scout.com:

 

 

JH: What did you think of getting drafted in the fifth round by the Minnesota Twins?

 

DS: You know, there are a lot of outside reasons why I went in the fifth round. I was happy that I got drafted, because I told a lot of scouting directors that I wouldnt sign if I didnt get drafted in the first or second round. So when those rounds went by, I was just happy that I got drafted as high as I did. I guess I have a lot of mixed emotions about the draft.

 

JH: You were picked by the Twins, but you have a chance to play at OU. What are you going to do?

 

DS: It is really day-to-day. There are days where I just want to go ahead and sign and go play pro ball and get paid to do something that I love to do. Then, on other days, I just want to go to Oklahoma and enjoy a great college life and go to a program where I know I can get better. So, I change my mind all the time. Right now I heart is with OU, but this is going to go down to the wire. We will just have to see what happens.

 

JH: So are you happy with the offer that the Twins have thrown at you so far?

 

DS: The money that they are offering right now is good money, but they haven't upped it from the spot that they originally offered me. It is going to take a pretty good investment on their part to sign me, because I dont want to just go there for a couple of years and then they release me. My goal is if I do, that I want to make it to the major leagues in three years. So, if I am going to sign I want a financial commitment from them that shows they have the same dream for me that I do for myself.

 

JH: I know that you dont want to give dollar amounts out to the public, but can you at least tell us by percentage how far away you and the Twins are from an agreement at this time?

 

DS: We are worlds apart on the dollar amount right now. The Twins are not a big market organization and they dont have a great deal of money for the draft like some teams do. So, what it comes down to from what my advisor tells me is whether the Twins sign some of the college players that they drafted. If they do that, then they are not going to have the money that I am looking for and I will go to OU. If they dont sign those guys, then they are telling me that they will have the money to give me what I want.

 

I talk to Coach (Sunny) Golloway all the time and he tells me that either the money is going to be there or it is not, and that I cant lose either way. Right now I can really see me in that Sooner uniform and I look good in it. I am not going to sign for just anything. We will have to see if the Twins are going to make a real offer. Right now we are worlds apart.

 

I am a little disappointed that OU lost a left-handed pitcher in the draft in Chad Lee, because coach Golloway had put together a great recruiting class and it is disappointing that we lost him. But I am sure he will find some other pitchers who will be good as well.

 

JH: So coming in with a great recruiting class is important to you?

 

DS: That is very important. I want to make sure we have a chance to make it to [the College World Series tournament in] Omaha. I dont want to be at a school that makes it to Omaha and then you never hear from them again. I want to go to a program like the Rices and Cal-State Fullertons of the world.

 

 

I don't know; good teammates are obviously important, but Devin makes it sound like he needs Oklahoma to be worthy of him, or some such.  The money that Devin left on the table from the Twins, by the way, was approximately $166,000;  Chris Davis (a few slots ahead) got $175,000 and the Phillies' Quentin Berry, taken right after Devin, got $165,000.  (The Cubs' Jeff Samardzija did get over $7 million, but he was also a college football star and had the option of going to the NFL; indeed, he only lasted until the 5th round because teams were afraid he would choose football.)  One blogger reported that Devin had wanted a bonus of more $1,000,000, which ties in with his statement about wanting first- or second-round money.

 

In any event, a good few years at Oklahoma could boost Devin's standing and make him more money. Devin started out playing regularly for Oklahoma, and then he started to get benched, and then…

 

From John Shinn of The Norman (OK) Transcript (quoted in the thread, linked above):

In February, Devin Shepherd was the centerpiece of a consensus top 10 recruiting class. And the freshman from Oxnard, Calif., boldly predicted, Something special is going to happen in the next three years.

 

 

Anything special that happens wont involve Shepherd and Oklahoma.

 

Friday, OU coach Sunny Golloway said the outfielder had been dismissed from the team and won't return next season.

 

 

"It became clear that the situation was not going to work for either party," Golloway said in a statement released prior to the Sooners' game at Missouri. "We wish him nothing but the best in his future endeavors. At this point, we are focused on finishing the regular season in a strong way."

 

Shepherd was drafted by the Minnesota Twins in the fifth round of the 2006 Major League Baseball Amateur draft and was a prep All-American after hitting .407 with seven home runs his senior year of high school.

 

 

But he failed to display those skills at the college level.

 

Shepherd hit just .235 with one home run and seven RBIs after last Sundays game against Oklahoma State.

 

The start against the Cowboys was only his second in the last seven games. He started 34 games and appeared in 37.

NCAA rules regarding transfers were changed this season. Shepherd would have to sit out next season in order to play at another Division I school.

 

He can still transfer to a Division II, Division III, NAIA or junior college school and be eligible to play next season.

If he transfers to a junior college, he would also be eligible of the 2008 draft.

 

Wow, kicked off the team in the middle of the season.  That's…not good.  They didn't even wait for the end of the year to take his scholarship away, just decided that the sooner Devin was gone, the better.  (Now if only the House would start thinking the same way!)  I looked at a lot of sources, but I couldn't find any details on what exactly happened, but it doesn't speak well of him, IMO.

 

Of course, Devin isn't the only college player ever to get into trouble;  the #1 college recruit that year, Lonnie Chisenhall of South Carolina, was expelled from his school for stealing money from the coach. And a bad episode doesn't mean the end of your career, necessarily…Chisenhall is currently the star third baseman for the Cleveland Indians and seems likely to play in the upcoming All-Star Game.

 

But Devin is a different story.  I have much more to follow, but this post is long enough, and my browser's getting cranky and I'd hate to lose what I have so far.  Suffice it to say, though, that Devin did NOT turn his back on MLB riches to be a good dad or anything like that; while he once might have been ranked with the Lonnie Chisenhalls of the world, the only way he's ever going to the All-Star Game is if he buys a ticket.

[TeamBlue]

Fantastic detective work, thanks very much for that.

[KYBlonde]

He sure seems to run the house whether he's HOH or not.

[Dewey Decimate]

Great research, DAngelus! Definitely fits with the person we've seen so far in the game. Along the fact-checker lines, I've heard it thrown about that Devin hasn't actually seen the daughter he's "doing it all for" in over three months. Does anyone have a source on this?

[Chrissytd]

Great research, DAngelus! Definitely fits with the person we've seen so far in the game. Along the fact-checker lines, I've heard it thrown about that Devin hasn't actually seen the daughter he's "doing it all for" in over three months. Does anyone have a source on this?

I've read the same. Apparently, he moved to Texas after her birth.

[jellywager]

He has the douchiest voice ever. It was too bad he gets so much talking time. Brittney is my favorite so far b/c she can see right through this douche bag.

[LADreamr]

 

Along the fact-checker lines, I've heard it thrown about that Devin hasn't actually seen the daughter he's "doing it all for" in over three months. Does anyone have a source on this?

 

That makes more sense.  His supposed parental devotion didn't jibe with his out-of-control narcissism.  I wonder what the mother has to say about all this.

[Boots]

I don't understand why he has so much power over these ball sacks. Well actually, yes I do. Pathetic. 

[Biosynth]

Boots, I know what you mean.  Had I been in the house I wouldn't have allowed him to shush me off like he did with Amber.  But most of the ladies in the house don't defend themselves and are pretty meek, with the exception of Brittany, perhaps. 

 

I can't wait till this tool is nominated at some point.  Oh the ego explosion!

[LADreamr]

What was it he said when he was confessing to Donny what he had been saying about him?  Something along the lines of, when I walk out the door, I want the audience to be cheering for me because I was honorable in the house, or some such crap?  I think his whole thought process is around that final applause.  How can I look as cool as possible for the audience?  Loving father, honorable to the hamsters, a great leader.  I think to him, that is roughly the checklist.  But it's all such a put-on that he doesn't allow for the fact that people may not buy it.  I think that's where the lame "Huh?" face comes from when people disagree with him, or call him out.  He thinks he has an entitlement to everyone seeing him the way he plans to be seen and never questioning it.  Which kinda goes against the whole "honorable" aspect.  Tool.  

[iRarelyWatchTV36]

So just this morning, I learned that Devin played minor league ball about 30 minutes away from me, for the local team (for only about a couple months); and the the shot of him in action, during his intro video, was as a player for them - it was in this morning's paper.

 

Not quite sure how I feel about that, to be honest.

[Kris117]

So I decided to do some research on the man who combines my favorite sport and my favorite reality show…and who was a flop at one and is driving me nuts in the other.

 

Devin, originally from Oxnard, California, was a high-school star, and the fifth-round pick of the Minnesota Twins in the 2006 MLB draft.

No wonder I thought I had heard that name before! Yeah, I don't think the Twins missed out on much.