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This is the ninth story in our series spotlighting members of Arkansas baseball's highly touted 2020 signing class, which is ranked third nationally by Perfect Game and Baseball America. Links to previous profiles can be found below.
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Much like several of his fellow 2020 signees, Michael Brooks could be facing a major decision in two weeks.
With the MLB Draft looming, the top-100 recruit from Florida will have to figure out what kind of signing bonus it’ll take to get him to skip playing at Arkansas and instead begin his professional career.
“I’m obviously waiting to see what happens with the draft,” Brooks said. “That’s still an option for me, but we’re basically waiting it out, seeing what happens, talking to my advisor and everything like that.”
Those conversations are more important than ever this year because the draft has been shortened to only 160 total picks in five rounds. That increases the Razorbacks’ odds of getting a guy like Brooks - ranked No. 350 in Baseball America’s list of top draft prospects - to campus, but the lack of selections will make sign-ability a critical factor for teams, as well.
In addition to having an advisor to help him wade through those complicated issues, Brooks also has the benefit of parents with connections and experience to further aid in the process.
His father, Neil, is the senior marketing manager for baseball at New Balance. It’s a position that allows him to meet various people around the pro game, giving him a chance to ask questions and get advice.
Before that, he was an assistant and associate athletic director at Miami (Fla.) and Louisville, respectively, during the 1990s and early-2000s. Brooks’ mother also worked in the Hurricanes’ athletic department, so they have the academic side covered, too.
“I feel very lucky because not everybody gets that,” Brooks said. “They’ve been through stuff like this before and they know how to handle it. They have people they can talk to and talk about it with and they just help me through it and give me advice.”
It won’t be the first time Brooks has had to make difficult decisions, either.
As a sophomore, the infielder from Wellington, Fla., narrowed his options down to a trio of SEC schools and actually committed to Mississippi State over Vanderbilt and Arkansas.
However, head coach Andy Cannizaro resigned a week into the season and Brooks decided to reopen his recruitment. The Razorbacks immediately reached out again and he ended up committing just just a couple months after his de-commitment.
