Mt. Paran Christian graduate Taylor Trammell, selected by the Cincinnati Reds with the 35th overall pick, plans to sign with the team Monday. Trammell flew Sunday to Arizona, site of the team’s spring-training headquarters, for a physical and to sign his contract. Trammell said he couldn’t give out contract details.
The next stop, he said, will be the Reds’ rookie-league team in Billings, Mont.
“I have the euphoria still in my body,” Trammell said. “That enjoyment, that excitement with the draft. It feels really good.”
Trammell, an outfielder who had signed a letter of intent with Georgia Tech, was ranked the No. 13 overall draft prospect by Baseball America. He held no grudges over slipping and getting taken off the board as the first pick of Competitive Balance Lottery Round A.
“I’m getting to play baseball,” Trammell said. “I’m getting to play the game that I love. If I were drafted somewhere I didn’t want to be drafted, I would still play baseball. It might have been at Georgia Tech. … I’m getting to play the game that I love. It’s just awesome.”
Last year’s No. 35 pick, Louisville pitcher Kyle Funkhouser, did not sign, electing to return to college. The players selected immediately before and after him received reported signing bonuses of $1.795 million and $1.3 million.
Trammell was also the Class A offensive player of the year in football after rushing for 2,500 yards and scoring 38 touchdowns.
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