NJ Star Pitcher Hopes To Have Baseball Dream Realized
By Ray Boyd
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- At 7 p.m. on Thursday, June 5th, a number of young men will have their baseball dream realized. That's when the MLB First-Year Major League Player Draft begins.
Joe Gatto, a pitcher at St. Augustine Prep in Richland, NJ, is hoping to have his dream realized as well.
Gatto has a very legitimate chance of going early in the draft. His 95 mph fastball will make him very tempting to major league teams when it is their turn to pick a name on Thursday night.
St. Augustine Prep plays in the Cape Atlantic League; that reality alone puts a bit of pressure on Gatto. The last player taken out of the league was Mike Trout, who now plays for the Los Angeles Angels. The slugging outfielder signed a 6-year, $144.5 million contract extension with the Angels this past offseason.
Gatto has a long way to go to try to live up to the success that Trout has experienced.
But when it comes to Gatto, the numbers tell the story. According to the Press of Atlantic City, this past season, the young pitcher earned a 7-1 record, with a stellar 0.94 earned run average. His low ERA can be attributed to the fact that he only allowed 21 walks compared to 65 strikeouts and opponents only mustered up a .122 batting average against him.
The MLB Network, which will be airing tonight's draft, named him No. 43 on their list of top prospects. The first 74 selections will be aired tonight, while the rest of the draft will resume 12:30 p.m. on Friday.
Gatto's high velocity on his fastball, coupled with his ability to throw good secondary pitches, will certainly place him high on team's big boards. At 6'5 and 215 pounds, he already has a Major League-ready body.
The Phillies will pick twice tonight, and building up their pitching staff for the future is clearly a priority for the franchise. The team will select at No. 7 overall and No. 47 overall.
Gatto may have the chance to begin his baseball career pretty close to home.