The New York Mets, who had the first overall selection of the 1980 Major League Baseball Draft, were enamored with Beane's talent and considered choosing him with the first pick. Because many teams believed he would attend Stanford and not sign with a professional team, Beane fell to the 23rd pick, where he was taken by the Mets, who had two other first-round picks that year, allowing them to risk Beane not signing. After visiting the Mets clubhouse, Beane decided to sign with the Mets for a signing bonus. Beane called his decision to sign with the Mets instead of going to Stanford as the "only decision he would ever make in his life about money."