Despite huge offer from Los Angeles Angels, Ryan Prager elects to return to Texas A&M baseball for Michael Earley’s first season as coach
When ace pitcher for Texas A&M baseball Ryan Prager was selected by the Los Angeles Angels in the third round of this past year’s MLB draft, it seemed to much of a stretch that the Aggies could get him to return to College Station for a third year. Despite the rumors that were flying around about Prager’s possible return, this seemed to all but shut the door on that possibility.
Common wisdom says that the Angels wouldn’t have made this investment of a high-round pick in Prager if they weren’t reasonably certain that they would end up signing him. Even with elite players, if there’s some question, they typically don’t go this high in the draft order.
However, the rumors continued unabated. Whispers that Prager might be returning just wouldn’t die—and now, we see why.
That said, it’s not as if this wasn’t a big decision. As Richard Zane of Texags notes, this is an exceedingly rare occurrence:
Prager was a second-team All-SEC selection behind Hagen Smith and Khal Stephen, who both signed professional contracts.
— Richard Zane (@RichardZane32) July 24, 2024
With this decision, Texas A&M now has the No. 1 returning starting pitcher in college baseball’s best league. #EarleyEra
Nearly $950K left on the table is no small potatoes. Of course, an NIL deal is probably in the works for Prager, but I don’t think that’s all this comes down to. The Aggie ace has another year of leverage left, and after a stellar year on the mound for A&M, it makes sense that he would bet on himself here. Under Jason Kelly, I have a hunch that Prager’s stock will only climb over the course of next year.
Whatever the reasons, this is a massive boost for Michael Earley’s first pitching staff in Aggieland. As good as the Aggies will no doubt be on offense, their defense might be just as formidable going into next season.