In 1999, N.C . State captured a commitment from an 18-year-old with potential from the Raleigh area who was named the North Carolina player of the year. Unfortunately, he decided to play professional baseball after being selected No. 1 overall by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays.
That young man’s name was Athens Drive superstar Josh Hamilton, who has recovered from a rocky start in the majors to win the 2010 American League MVP award.
In 2011, the Wolfpack gained the rights to yet another North Carolina player of the year and another player chosen No. 54 overall with prospects of becoming major leaguers. Only this time, they didn’t slip through the cracks.
Carlos Rodon, a pitcher from Holly Spring High School who boasts a 92-mph fastball, and Matthews native Brett Austin, a catcher who was named the 2011 Charlotte Observer player of the year, did not sign MLB contracts late Monday night, which means both will be attending State in the fall.
The 6-foot-2-inch left-handed hurler was drafted in round 16 by the Milwaukee Brewers – much later than most believed he would be chosen. While the Holly Springs native mulled over his decision for the last two months, he said he let players know last night he would be playing with them, and they were just as excited as he was to run with the Pack.
“The guys were excited when I talked to them last night,” Rodon said. “They kept saying, ‘You’ve got to come to school, if we don’t have you it’s going to be a big loss.’ I told them all last night that they didn’t need to worry, I’m coming to school to play with them.”
Though he is one of the most heralded pitchers in the state of North Carolina, Rodon was listed by the Brewers as a first baseman or an outfielder, with pitching being an option. Like many professional prospects, he garners talent at several positions, but will need to hone in on his skills in college in order to become an everyday Major League Baseball player.
To put things into perspective, Pratt Maynard, last year’s All-ACC catcher of the year and third round selection by the Los Angeles Dodgers, was regarded as a great pitcher coming out of South Granville High School with a 7-2 record and a 0.90 ERA on the mound.
While Rodon may not end up being a pitcher for the Pack, he said he could not pass up the opportunity to work with NCSU’s coaching staff for three years.
“All of the coaches here at State are the best,” Rodon said. “They are like family to me. That was the main reason why I decided to come here – it felt like home. Playing pro ball would have been lonely and I don’t feel ready for that just yet.”
Austin’s decision to come play for Coach Avent and company was more based on the fact that other colleges and professional teams did not consider him as a catcher.
Much like Maynard over the past three years, Austin knows he will need to prove himself as a catcher with the Pack.
“At Carolina, it was kind of funny,” Austin said. “I sat down with them and they showed me a paper that said I was a first baseman or outfielder. I said, ‘Come on guys, I’m a catcher first.’
“Coach Avent told me if I work hard this fall and prove myself I’ll be a catcher. That’s what I wanted to do all along. It’s something I really enjoy.”
With Maynard leaving for the Dodgers back in June, the depth at the catcher position behind junior Danny Canela was slim. Austin said his decision depended somewhat on whether Maynard committed to play in the majors this season.
“Pratt was a stud here at State, so I knew he would be gone,” Austin said. “That was a deciding factor for me because I wanted to come in here to compete and play right away. I have great opportunity here at State and I couldn’t pass it up.”
Infielder Trea Turner turned down offers to play from the Pittsburgh Pirates to play for Avent in the spring after months of deliberation and conversations with his parents.
Turner said his decision was much easier when he considered the level of competition he would get in the conference and the education he can earn at State.
“Playing in the ACC is huge, you can’t really get that in many other places,” Turner said. “They also have a really good engineering program that I want to major in as well, so that made things a lot easier for me.”
While Turner plans on pursuing an education in mechanical engineering, he said the Pirates, who selected him in round 20 of the draft, told him he would be better suited to stay in the team’s farm league.
“[The Pirates] were telling me that I would develop faster in three years with their program,” Turner said. “It was basically my decision to come here because they weren’t telling me to even consider college baseball.”
Along with the three incoming freshmen, State also learned early Tuesday morning that senior outfielders Brett Williams and John Gianis would also be returning with the team in the spring.
