Major League Baseball Draft 2011: Top Five Players – Part 5
It is almost impossible to find a multi-talented sportsman of Bubba Starling’s stature effortlessly, as he stands at 6ft 5in, the 190-pounder doesn’t find any difficulty in thrashing baseballs to 500-feet. The 18-year-old literally treats his high school
pitchers as bullies, smacking their pitches out of the park and entertaining the Kansas crowd.
He can run 100 meters in 4.3 seconds, use his knees to throw a football 50 yards and hit three-pointers in the basketball court. At the same time, he plans to play baseball at the professional level where he can pitch at 94 mph and hit as far as 550 feet.
This is the reality of Bubba Starling.
Hailing from the Gardner-Edgerton High school, the Kansas City Royals have fittingly drafted in Bubba at the Number five pick. The Royals have picked a talent whom any naked eye cannot doubt. The Kansas side has put him in a fix, as he now faces a lifetime
decision of choosing between one of many sports, all of which he can nationally represent.
Having enrolled in the University of Nebraska, he now has until August 15 to decide between college and professional baseball. His family is of the opinion that he should attend college but money is one thing which cannot be ignored. A potential $5-million
bonus, just to skip college for baseball doesn’t seem to be a bad option. He’ll have to decide himself if he is ready to enter manhood at this tender age of 18 or needs three years at college to further hone himself. People have expectations from everyone,
and Bubba is not exception. However, Bubba, not forgetting that he’s human, cannot keep everyone happy.
“People act like they know what I’m doing,” he says. “They really don’t.”
If Bubba does go pro, he can be rich spontaneously. On the contrary, on joining Nebraska, he can continue on his journey to fame but the journey isn’t as smooth as it seems. He’ll remain in the crossroads, with struggling parents, limited fame and a savings
account which hinges in the range of $600 only.
Starling is one teen who is willing to delay financial gains for his college education, for now at least. It will be interesting how he responds once he has been given a multi-million-dollar contract to sign. Being a down-to-earth teen despite his heroics
at such a slender age, he gauges his future on education and feels that intimidation and financial gratification should not take the better of him.
The Royals have other plans and it will be interesting to see how they go about enticing Bubba into their plan.
This year’s top five picks has seen some of the best talent the nation has ever produced. Cole, at Number one, is a potential candidate to dominate Major League pitching. Hultzen rides his success on the back of consistency and control. Bauer is one pitcher,
sides will wary of given his variety and composure as a pitcher. Bundy’s athleticism compliments his fast pitching and with age on his side, he has all the time to develop into a pitcher who means business. Bubba has a class act in him and is pivoted at choosing
between college and baseball and there is obviously no doubt in his abilities as a player, with him being a celebrity already among the young crowds.
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