Cole Phillips, along with family and friends, were at the Dog & Pony Grill on Sunday night to watch the Major League Baseball draft.
As the draft went into the second round on Sunday night, Phillips heard his named called after he was selected by the Atlanta Braves with the 57th pick.
The recent Boerne High graduate said the Braves were on his list of teams he was hoping would select him.
“Going into the draft, the Braves were one of my favorite and top teams I wanted to go to,” said the flamethrower who registered 101 miles per hour on his fastball this past spring. “Hearing my name called was a surreal moment and everything after that was a blur.”
Phillips and his parents, Mark and Jen, headed to Atlanta on Tuesday. Cole took a physical on Wednesday and afterwards signed with the Braves.
According to the MLB website, a player selected in the spot that Phillips was taken can expect to sign a contract for about $1.3 million.
Not bad for a guy that won’t be able to pitch for about another year after undergoing Tommy John surgery a few months ago to repair his pitching elbow.
Phillips hurt his arm during a district game with Bandera on March 29 and had surgery a few weeks later. He’s rehabbing now and the plan is for him to move to the Braves’ spring training facility outside Sarasota, Florida, where he’ll continue rehabbing with the Atlanta franchise.
Phillips had also signed to play with the University of Arkansas but won’t attend the school since he signed a deal on Wednesday with the Braves. If Phillips had gone to college, he wouldn’t have been draft eligible again until 2024.
The 6-foot-3, 200-pounder was 4-0 when his senior season ended and had an ERA of 0.00. He had 42 strikeouts and only surrendered three runs, none of them earned.
During his junior year, Phillips posted an ERA of 0.88, fanned 97 batters and finished with a 9-1 record.
There were several MLB scouts at the Boerne games whenever Phillips pitched. He consistently registered 97 to 98 miles per hour on his fastball, but he did hit 101 mph eight times during tournament play in Victoria last March.
Phillips said he knows Atlanta took a chance on him since he’s still rehabbing, but is grateful to them and to God for the chance.
“I’m so thankful that the Braves are giving me this opportunity and I give all the glory to God,” he said.
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