Local baseball stars share draft-day memories
Montville’s Bowens might be picked over the next two days
Pro prospect TT Bowens plans to relax at home while the Major League Baseball draft plays out over two days.
“Honestly, I probably won't watch it or anything,” Bowens said. “It if happens, I'll get a phone call. I'll just treat it like any other day and hang out and relax.”
It can be difficult to relax when your life could drastically change in a snap.
Just ask players like Dominic Leone, Nolan
Long and Rajai Davis, three former area high school baseball standouts that experienced the same draft day drama. Their draft stories all had happy endings.
“It's a great moment,” said Leone, a 2009 Norwich Free Academy graduate drafted in the 16th round by Seattle in 2012 . “You realize your career is taking the next step forward. You have no idea where it is going to take you. You've worked so hard to get to this point.”
Leone, a right-handed reliever, is with the Cleveland organization, his fifth stop on his professional journey.
It's hard to predict when Bowens will begin his professional baseball adventure, especially considering the major league draft was cut back from 40 to just five rounds due to fallout from the coronavirus pandemic.
Major League Baseball will run its first round tonight and the remaining four on Thursday.
Bowens, a former Montville High School star, has heard from a number of teams but has no idea if he'll get selected or not.
“Teams tell me they're interested, but you don't know what's going to happen when draft day comes, so I don't know,” Bowens
said. “Obviously, the draft being cut to five rounds is definitely not something that I was expecting. I've just got to roll with the punches and play the hand that's been dealt. I can't control anything from here on out.”
What Bowens can control is what his next step will be if not drafted.
Bowens will wait to see if he's offered a free agent contract. Teams can contact undrafted players starting on Sunday.
He also can opt to play another season of college baseball. He's already looking into transfer options after playing at Central Connecticut State University.
“I'm prepared for either situation,” Bowens said. “If my name gets called, great, that's what I want. If not, that's okay. I still have options, as a free agent or going back to school.”
The odds were better for Leone, Long and Davis to hear their names on draft day because there were far more opportunities for them.
It can be stressful
It was still a nerve-racking draft day. Leone, who was playing at Clemson at the time, was on pins and needles.
“It was definitely stressful, a lot of anxiety,” Leone said. “It was the first year they split the draft into three different days with the first 10 rounds being the most publicized.”
Leone grew even more anxious after going undrafted the first two days. He went and played golf on day three with his Clemson teammates. He received the call from Seattle at the golf course after being selected as the third pick in the 16th round. He called his parents to break the good news.
Long, a pitcher out of Waterford High School and Wagner College, experienced a mixture of emotions before the Los Angeles Dodgers picked him in the 16th round in 2015.
He played the waiting game while tracking the draft from home. He was relieved and happy when he got the call.
“It was nerve-racking,” Long said. “Cool at first when you are getting all this interest. But, shockingly, it was something that I just wanted to be over with. When you're told you're going to go earlier in the draft and that isn't happening and you're not being taken, having to go pick by pick and not hearing your name is stressful.
“But once you hear your name, it's an amazing feeling. And now you can just finally go ball play.”
After pitching in the Class AA level last season, Long, 26, is trying to continue to climb the ladder in the Dodgers organization.
Davis is still playing what seems like lightyears removed from his draft day in 2001 when the Pittsburgh Pirates selected him in the 38th round. It's a day that he'll never forget. “A dream come true,” Davis said. Davis, 39, has exceeded expectations except his own by playing for eight teams over 14 seasons in the major leagues.
During the off-season, Davis signed a free agent contract with Acereros de Monclova, a Triple A level team in the Mexican League. He hopes to make his way back to the major leagues.
Now Bowens will try to join the impressive list of former southeastern Connecticut players to be drafted.
But, due to the unusual circumstances this year, nobody is sure what to expect. Baseball America projects that no players from New England will be selected in this year's draft. g.keefe@theday.com