Draft Day Memories: Blue Wahoos and Pensacola
Over the next three days, more than 1,000 high school and college baseball players will hear their name called during the MLB Draft, beginning their professional baseball careers. Read on to hear Blue Wahoos players recollections of the day they were drafted.OF-Mark Contreras, 9th round, 2017 draft"I don't remember what
Over the next three days, more than 1,000 high school and college baseball players will hear their name called during the MLB Draft, beginning their professional baseball careers. Read on to hear Blue Wahoos players recollections of the day they were drafted.
OF-Mark Contreras, 9th round, 2017 draft
"I don't remember what happened, but my sister says I was laughing and crying at the same time. My sister started crying. My mom was working from home and she just ran downstairs and gave me a big hug. I wish my dad was there because I would have given him a big hug, but as soon as he got home, that's the first thing I did. I ran outside and we were just crying. It's just crazy how I don't even remember five minutes after hearing my name. It was just surreal, an out of body experience. It was a dream come true. I'm given this opportunity and now it's go and make something of it."
IF-Travis Blankenhorn, 3rd round, 2015 draft
"I was at home with my family, my mom, my brother and my dad. I was projected in the middle of the first or second day, so I didn't know where I was going to go. First day, I didn't get picked, went to bed, woke up in the morning and my agent started getting some calls. I think I was the fifth pick of the second day, so I got the call pretty early. I was in the living room with my parents and my agent, we watched it on the computer and it was a very exciting time for me and family. My parents had some friends come over and we had a little party."
IF-Joe Cronin, 34th round, 2016 draft
"We were in a NCAA Super Regional in Miami. We were in a rain delay, so we were all crammed into their weight room. And I'm just scrolling, trying not to be open about it because we were in middle of a game. I saw it and went out and met my dad who was in the concourse. The team said congrats, the rain delay was over, and we went back out and won the game. Pretty nerve wracking but better that we were in a rain delay. A cool story rather than sitting at home on my laptop, the combination of the end of the college season, winning, and then getting drafted all in one day."
OF-Jaylin Davis, 24th round, 2015 draft
"I was actually at work with mom. I had just come off my injury, had surgery and everything, and really didn't expect to get picked. To be honest, I thought I was going to back to school. So I was really just looking for my teammates' names to go. We sat there a little bit and I said, okay, I'm going home. As I get about halfway home, my phone starts vibrating and a bunch of guys on the team were like, 'hey, congrats' and I got a call from the Twins guy from our area. He said, hey man we just drafted you, and you will be reporting in Fort Myers in three days. It was a pretty emotional day for me."
C-Caleb Hamilton, 23rd round, 2016 draft
"I just got home from school in Oregon. I got home the day before the draft started. I was with my family, we were just messing around doing on our own thing. I was on the phone with a couple teams and I think it was early in the morning on Day 3. I ended up getting picked and had little celebration with my family and couple friends were there, too, so it was a really cool experience."
Tyler Jay, 1st round, 2015 draft
"On draft day, we actually had just lost to Vanderbilt for Super Regionals at Illinois. My whole family was there. About 15 minutes after the game, we were watching on TV. My whole family, my girlfriend was there. And I got a phone call…
So 15 minutes after we lost, I was drafted. It was an ultimate low then ultimate high on same day."
"I was pumped. I was still wrapping up our high school baseball season that day. My teammates were there, my family and close friends were all with me. It was a pretty cool night, pretty cool whole day actually. We had a state playoff game that day and then we all were at a restaurant together that night watching the draft. It was definitely a day I will never forget."
Pensacola has an extensive history with the MLB draft, including a sizable amount of first-round selections who went on to lengthy careers.
Here is a snapshot of Pensacola's first-round draft picks, who went on to become among the city's most famous players.
INF-C
INF Travis Fryman, 30th overall selection in 1987 out of Tate High School by Detroit Tigers. Made MLB debut with Tigers.
INF Jay Bell, 8th overall pick by Minnesota Twins in 1984 out of Tate High School. Made MLB debut with Cleveland Indians.
INF Greg Litton, 10th overall pick by San Francisco Giants in 1984 out of Pensacola State College. Made MLB debut with Giants.
OF Hosken Powell, 19th overall pick by Minnesota Twins in 1975 out of Chipola College. Made MLB debut with Twins.
P Dennis Lewallyn, 8th overall pick in 1972 by Los Angeles Dodgers. Escambia High grad reached big leagues with Dodgers.
P Preston Hannah, 11th overall choice in 1972 by Atlanta Braves out of Escambia High. Went on to make MLB debut with Braves.
Don Sutton, No structured draft when he was signed by L.A. Dodgers in 1964 out of Tate High School, but went on to make MLB debut with Dodgers and is Pensacola's member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y.
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