Arizona’s Johnson says it’s a “really delicate balance” between assembling the best possible team and being fair to your players.

You need good students who can supplement their baseball money with academic aid. You need in-state kids who can afford to accept small scholarships. You need your big-money investments (usually pitchers) to perform. You need to find good values.

“Any time you get good players on lower scholarships, it helps you extend your payroll, so to speak,” Johnson says. “That’s usually when you have your best teams.”

Only 27 of the 35 roster spots are eligible for scholarship assistance. Each player on scholarship must receive at least 25 percent. Do the math, and you’ll find that most players are in the 25- to 50-percent range.

Offering a full ride is high-risk, but coaches occasionally take the chance on a stud pitcher (or a star bat like Kris Bryant) who turns down the draft. If the kid buckles under the burden, the program is in a hole.

Gilmore once opposed full-tuition scholarships. But the longer he coaches, the more he believes it’s the only way to level the playing field. A coach shouldn’t have to nickel-and-dime teenagers. Let him sell his school, not the fattest check.