|
The George Washington High School Trojans' shortstop Mike Antonio was drafted by the Kansas City Royals in the Major League Baseball draft on June 8.
Antonio was chosen 86th out of 145 picks in the three-day draft.
The soft-spoken 18-year-old watched the Royals pick him live on the computer screen, even as his father, Mike Antonio Sr., was on the phone negotiating with the Tampa Bay Rays, who had a later pick.
Antonio, who grew up on W. 161st Street and Ft. Washington Avenue, was hoping to be picked by the Yankees on the first day, but the “evil empire” chose a different high school shortstop, Cito Culver from Rochester.
“We’re just glad it happened,” Antonio, Sr. said, moments after the pick, from his home in Port Jervis.
“We knew he was not gonna get past the third round because we received too many calls,” he said.
That Antonio was 86th is impressive for a high schooler, said his former Little League coach, John Moynihan.
Trojans' Coach Steve Mandl said the whole team was thrilled with the news.
“He's the highest since Manny,” he said, referring to one of the team's more famous former players, Los Angeles Dodger and Boston Red Sox superstar Manny Ramirez.
The last player to receive as much attention as Antonio was Pedro Alvarez who was drafted out of college in the first round of the 2008 draft by the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Mandl said the next step for Antonio is to negotiate a contract with the Royals, a process that will last through the summer.
|
