It would probably be helpful to start by determining if there's correlation between education and actual intelligence among ballplayers.

Graduating college probably means that you weren't a top prospect when you were drafted since almost all college players in the first few rounds are first taken as juniors (or sophomores). Most players who make it (although I don't have the actual numbers) were pretty decent prospects when drafted.

I wouldn't expect there to be any correlation, for the reasons #2 gives. Also, being drafted out of high school, and thus not attending college at all, doesn't mean the player isn't smart. You don't have to be stupid to realize that if you get a few hundred thousand dollars put away in the bank, you can always go to college later if the pro thing doesn't work out. In fact, being stupid would be counterproductive in realizing such a thing.

It's certainly possible that if we had two players of equal physical ability, one smart, one stupid, that the former would get more out of that ability. But even that's not certain, because talented ballplayers are carefully monitored and directed in their on and off-field actions (the ones that could affect their playing ability and results, at least).

Where did those brains get him? He has yet to find a permanent home, playing for five different teams in four seasons.

The new Moe Berg?

Apart from the above, apparently most players from the Dominican* are not brainy. [Cue a SF dj.]

* - fill in the name of a non-US/Canada country here

Fun article, but obviously dumb. By this measure MLS is about a thousand times brainier than any other soccer league in the world. I would guess that the average number of college graduates on an English Premier League team is about 0.25. I'd believe it if you told me there were zero college graduates in every European football league put together, except for a couple of the American players.

Fun article, but obviously dumb. By this measure MLS is about a thousand times brainier than any other soccer league in the world.

And the NFL is the smartest league in America.

I find it ironic that the Wall Street Journal of all papers considers it "less brainy" to forgo hundreds of thousands of dollars to play ball out of high school in order to play for free in college.

And the NFL is the smartest league in America.

World Team Tennis?

World Team Tennis?

Every NFL player went to college. Can't say the same for tennis players.

Every NFL player went to college

Yeah, but a lot of them went to Ohio State, which counts as negative education.

Yeah, but a lot of them went to Ohio State, which counts as negative education.

No argument here. There's also a lot of FSU and Miami guys too. And of course Michigan.

And of course Michigan.

Isn't Michigan a good undergrad?

US News & World Report lists Michigan at #26 among "National Universities", between UCLA and USC.

If it still exists, that pro lacrosse league would have to be the brainiest. Everyone graduated college, some from places like Johns Hopkins and Cornell.

Graduated doesn't mean what some people thinks it means.

Graduated doesn't mean what some people thinks it means.

Doctors bury their mistakes, professors graduate theirs?

Professors don't decide who gets in.

Yeah, but a lot of them went to Ohio State, which counts as negative education.


No argument here. There's also a lot of FSU and Miami guys too. And of course Michigan.

three words:

louisiana state university

Shockingly, while many current major leaguers had college experience, we found only 26 (including managers), who have earned degrees.

My college roommate (2.99 career ERA), while in the Giants system, was the Giants' only college graduate at any level, from rookie ball to the majors.

Graduating college probably means that you weren't a top prospect when you were drafted since almost all college players in the first few rounds are first taken as juniors (or sophomores).

This is exactly right. Plus, with tutors, Mickey Mouse courses, liberal arts majors and help from friends who will write their term papers, even a knucklehead can graduate from college.

My college roommate (2.99 career ERA), while in the Giants system, was the Giants' only college graduate at any level, from rookie ball to the majors.

I think I figured out why he stalled at AA: apparently he never struck out anybody.

Plus, with tutors, Mickey Mouse courses, liberal arts majors and help from friends who will write their term papers, even a knucklehead can graduate from college.

All Matt Leinart really wanted was to be a really good dancer...

I dont know who is the brainest team Al but Ozzie Guillen says if I ever get traded to the Cubs the avarage IQ of both teams will go way up.

I think I figured out why he stalled at AA: apparently he never struck out anybody.

Steve was a crafty lefty who, alas, didn't have much stuff after he literally broke his elbow pitching. Once in college, when we (UCSB) -- I should be clear, we means I was a student, not a baseball player -- beat Fullerton State, who that year went on to win the College World Series, the Fullerton coach, Augie Garrido, was quoted as saying (paraphrasing), "If we can't hit that piece of ess pitcher, our team sucks ess. He's out there lobbing beach balls, and our piece of ess hitters were effing missing every g-damn one of them!"

Steve also had a nice win that season (1984) against Arizona State, when the Sun Devils featured an outfied of Barry Bonds, Mike Devereaux and Oddibe McDowell. Devereaux hit a home run off of Steve which our radio announcers (one might have been Jim Rome of "have a take and don't suck" infamy) described as, "Holy effing ess! That blast is gone. It's way past the left field wall; it's past the Rio Salado Parkway; it's beyond the Salt River; it's going to land clear the Red Mountain Fwy! Holy effing ess!" (Paraphrasing. Allegedly. Probably.)

Isn't Michigan a good undergrad?

I have no idea, I just assumed that the poster was a Michigan alum.

Graduated doesn't mean what some people thinks it means.

Tell that to the author.

Starting players were weighted more heavily in our rankings, as were players who attended elite schools.

Were public universities such as Cal-Berkeley counted as "elite," or was it only the Ivies, Stanford and a handful of other private institutions?

Isn't Michigan a good undergrad?

Nope. It's got great graduate and professional schools. Undergrad? Not so much.

I have no idea, I just assumed that the poster was a Michigan alum.

No, I've just had the misfortune to work with an Ohio State graduate who is possibly the dumbest person I've ever known. To be fair, Ohio state is one of the five best OSUs in the country. Probably.

Once in college, when we (UCSB)

UC Santa Barbara? you're calling this a real uni? When I was in the U of Cal system it was the default school for everyone who didn't make it into Berkeley or UCLA...Though they did have the best location and the finest talent...

Did anyone look at the complete list of 30 teams? I wonder why the college players in MLB seem to be concentrated, to an absurd degree, in the NL West and AL East. Is that just randomness or what?

I love that Atlanta is dead last ..