Inked by Orioles
Seabrooke opts for pro
Peterborough’s Travis Seabrooke has agreed to terms with the Baltimore Orioles on a professional baseball contract.
The 17-year-old left-handed pitcher is passing on a scholarship with Boston College in order to turn pro. The Orioles drafted Seabrooke in the fifth-round of the MLB draft June 7. He confirmed Friday he’ll fly to the Orioles spring training complex in Sarasota, Fla., next week after finishing his final exams at Crestwood Secondary School. Assuming he passes a physical, Seabrooke will officially sign his contract and spend the summer working with the Orioles rookie development program in Sarasota.
“I’ll be able to play every day and get into routines and get instruction from professional coaches,” Seabrooke said.
“I’m fortunate to have had the coaches I’ve had in Canada and every one of them has done an absolutely phenomenal job but it will be nice to play every day with guys who are in the same boat as me.”
While the Orioles won’t announce signings until the physical is completed, it’s reported Seabrooke agreed to the fifthround slot money suggested by MLB of $291,800. The Orioles will have contractual control of Seabrooke for six years.
He confirmed he had contact with Baltimore prior to the draft and told them he was prepared to commit if drafted.
“I had done my best to try to get myself into a position where I could be a top five draft pick,” he said.
“In the event that would hap- pen there was a very good chance I would sign. Baltimore ended up being that team and I was very happy and pleased they were the ones who selected me.”
His decision to forego the scholarship came down to one overwhelming factor.
“In all honesty, there never came a point where I officially said I don’t want to go to school. School was always an option for me and always has been. I understand how important academics are, as well as baseball. Not many people are fortunate enough to play NCAA baseball at a Division 1 school,” he said.
“That opportunity is something I was never really wanting to let go of but, ultimately, it came down to I want to play professional baseball. As the draft came and I was given the opportunity I felt like it was something I really wanted to do. Deep down it was my desire.”
While signing his first pro contract will be a fulfillment of many years of hard work, it’s also just a beginning for Seabrooke. It takes the average MLB players nearly five years, on average, to work his way through the minors to the big leagues.
“That opportunity comes to so few people that when it would happen it would almost be like getting drafted again, I can imagine,” he said. “It’s a long journey but it’s one I’m well equipped for.
“The last two or three years I’ve spent with the Ontario Terriers program and the Canadian junior team has been a building process for me. I can look back and see the hard work I have put in to be drafted and be given this opportunity. It feels like the hard work has paid off.
“At the same time, the work I have put in is minute in the big picture. I know there is a lot of work ahead of me and a lot of long seasons to put in to get to where I want to get to.”
He says a turning point was joining the Terriers in 2011. He was recruited by Peterborough native and then head coach Rick Johnston and worked with pitching coach and former Blue Jay Paul Quantrill and Scott Van de Valk, head coach the past two years.
“That program was my saving grace,” Seabrooke said.
“It was the point in my career where I started to become a baseball player who was getting attention. They helped me get my scholarship and put me in the right positions and games and scenarios in front of the right people to have success.
“The amount I was able to learn from those coaches, everyone on that staff, helped shape me as a baseball player and a person and build a lot of the character traits I have today. I’d really like to emphasize how much that program has done for me.”
Until this month, the last Peterborough Baseball Association graduate to play pro baseball was Steve Murray in the Toronto Blue Jays system. His career was cut short by injuries in 2005. When Seabrooke steps on a pro diamond in the coming weeks he’ll be the second Peterborough native this month to do so. Catcher Mike Reeves was a 21st round pick of the Blue Jays who signed with the MLB club on June 12. He is now playing for their A ball affiliate Vancouver Canadians.
“We’re both very lucky,” Seabrooke said.