Gavin Wallace DRAFTED!

[stagz]

Congratulations! What an accomplishment. Go STAGS!

[stag76]

If he chooses to sign, Wallace will join his older brother Mike in the Pirates system, a farm system ranked sixth in MLB by Baseball America...

www.fairfieldstags.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=32500&ATCLID=211626597

[nashvillestag]

Yes congratulations! And BTW, getting picked in the 15th round is not too shabby either. Many who get picked in later rounds have little or no chance to actually make the big leagues. Odds still tough but certainly not impossible when you get chosen so high. Hard work, relatively injury free and who knows what could happen here. And certainly maybe the opportunity to team up with his brother somewhere down the line would be exciting. HOWEVER I would think there is a big decision to think of and act upon very soon. Do you get a good enough signing bonus to take the offer and leave with just one more year to go at Fairfield? Or do you stay around, compete one more year and get your degree. I would think he would choose the former, as this opportunity might not come around again because of such things as injury or poor performance. And the fact is a normal practice with the deal you sign is the final year of education being paid for by the team. His brother went early, probably under those conditions, and I 've got a feeling that Gavin will as well.

[FU73]

Ever since he first picked up a baseball, Gavin Wallace knew he had his older brother Mike by his side. It was a sport that the two shared. Mike, an aspiring pitcher himself, would encourage his younger brother every step of the way. From their days in little league coached by their dad, to their years in Madison High School, to making the big jump with both earning a Division I scholarship to Fairfield University, the duo has seen the sport as a family tradition. That tradition will continue as Gavin has signed a professional contract with the Pittsburgh Pirates, and will forego his senior season to be in the same farm system as his older brother.

“I've always loved baseball because it's been a sort of family event at every game,” Gavin Wallace said. “It was a place to hang out with my friends and brothers and just forget abut everything. Spending time on the diamond with friends and family is what made me fall in love with the game.”

“When I saw the Pirates calling I was in shock,” Wallace said. “There were a lot of things going through my head during that 15 second phone call. But I knew this is where I belonged and I couldn't be happier to be here. I thought my playing days with Mike were over, but that might not be the case anymore.”

The Pirates chose Gavin in the 15th round, becoming the highest Fairfield draft pick since Keefe Cato was chosen by the Cincinnati Reds in the second round in 1979.

“To be in the same MLB organization is rare and I'm soaking up every minute of it,” Gavin said. “There's a reason why the Pirates drafted the second Wallace – and that has nothing to do with me, that has everything to do with Mike. His work ethic, baseball talent, and character is what convinced the Pirates to draft me. I have some big shoes to fill.”

[FU73]

From CBS Sports.com:

2017 MLB Draft: The most interesting thing to know about all 30 draft classes
A total of 1,215 picks were made in the three-day MLB Draft, but here are 30 things that stand out

Pittsburgh Pirates: Reunited brothers at the draft

With their 15th-round pick in this year's draft, the Pirates selected Fairfield University right-hander Gavin Wallace. His brother Mike has been pitching in Pittsburgh's system since being their 30th-round pick in 2015. The two Wallace brothers are reunited in the Pirates' farm system.

From Jane Havsy of the Daily Record:
"It's unbelievable. It's crazy," Gavin Wallace said from his family home in Madison (NJ), where he was watching the draft online with his mother, Diane, and younger siblings." "He's the real deal," Mike Wallace said about this brother. "I'm excited to see him put on a professional jersey. I think he's going to wear it well."

It's not uncommon for teams to select the sibling of a high-profile player -- the Dodgers drafted Cody Bellinger's brother Cole, for example -- but it's not often they draft a set of brothers years apart in the late rounds. Pretty cool. Hopefully Mike and Gavin get a chance to play on the same team at some point.

www.cbssports.com/mlb/news/2017-mlb-draft-the-most-interesting-thing-to-know-about-all-30-draft-classes/