Brandon Lawson anticipated he’d experience one of his best moments this weekend. It just came a day later than he had hoped.
On Saturday, the third day of the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft, the 2013 Hernando High graduate and USF junior was chosen by the Tampa Bay Rays with the 14th pick of the 12th round, 360th overall.
“I’m still in shock,” Lawson said. “I’ve been waiting patiently the last two days. I was supposed to go yesterday. Things didn’t work out. I had five or six teams call but it didn’t work out. But I can’t complain about that. I’m thankful for the opportunity to showcase my talents in professional baseball. I can’t thank the Tampa Bay Rays enough for giving me that opportunity.”
The 6-foot-3, 205-pound 21-year-old, a right-handed pitcher, is coming off a strong third season with the Bulls. He went 5-5 with a 2.50 earned run average, striking out 111 over 101 innings. For his efforts, he made All-American Athletic Conference second team.
He’s the first Hernando County graduate to be taken in the MLB Draft since 2013, when three (Hernando’s Christian Arroyo, Nature Coast’s Mike Adams and Springstead’s Brandon Brosher) were selected. Lawson said the New York Mets intended to pick him in the 17th round that year, but he informed them he preferred to go to USF.
This is the first time, however, that a county product has been drafted by the hometown Rays. Lawson worked out for them on Monday, and apparently left an impression. Still, he said the pick came as a surprise, especially after he was previously told the Atlanta Braves were going to swipe him up a few spots later.
Originally a Cardinals fan born in Missouri, Lawson said he’s been a Rays supporter since his family arrived in the area when he was 7 years old.
“I’ve always been a fan of the Rays, the way they go about things as an organization,” Lawson said. “The way they stay close to the community, things like that. I’ve always admired them as an organization.”
Though nothing is official and he still has another year of eligibility in college, Lawson expected to make the trip to St. Petersburg in the next few days to sign a contract.
“I want to pursue my professional baseball career, but we’ll see what happens,” Lawson said. “I’m still in shock as far as my emotions, but it’s definitely one of the greatest days of my life to say I’m a professional baseball player now.”
Follow Chris Bernhardt Jr. on Twitter @cpbernhardtjr.
All-time Hernando County MLB Draft Picks (June Amateur Draft only)
Year Name School Team Round (Overall)
1976 Charles Farmer Hernando Detroit 9 (194)
1984 Mike Walker Hernando Montreal 14 (353)
1986 Eddie Looper* Hernando St. Louis 21 (546)
1986 Steve Livesey Springstead New York (AL) 29 (725)
1988 Tyrone Woods Hernando Montreal 5 (128)
1988 J.D. Noland* Springstead San Diego 13 (318)
1989 Avery Duval Hernando Texas 54 (1,334)
1991 Steve Livesey* Springstead New York (AL) 35 (907)
1993 Brent Stentz Hernando San Diego 45 (1,258)
1993 Landon Hessler Hernando Houston 23 (644)
1994 Landon Hessler* Hernando Minnesota 43 (1,184)
1994 Brent Stentz* Hernando Detroit 33 (921)
1995 Bronson Arroyo Hernando Pittsburgh 3 (69)
1998 Bert Snow* Hernando Oakland 10 (285)
2005 Dee Brown* Hernando Washington 10 (294)
2005 Patrick Ryan* Central Milwaukee 19 (565)
2011 Brett Maggard Hernando Philadelphia 38 (1,171)
2013 Christian Arroyo Hernando San Francisco 1 (25)
2013 Mike Adams* Nature Coast Boston 7 (203)
2013 Brandon Brosher Springstead New York (NL) 36 (1,076)
2016 Brandon Lawson* Hernando Tampa Bay 12 (360)
* Drafted out of college