Skole, Deglan know about challenges after draft day

The major league baseball draft for 2011 begins Monday and lasts three days.

The Hickory Crawdads’ parent club, the Texas Rangers, have the 33^rd overall pick in the first round and a pick – No. 37 – overall from the supplemental part of the draft.

A year ago, the Rangers had four first-round picks and three of them are with the Crawdads, who start a homestand Sunday night against Lakewood (N.J.).

Outfielder Jake Skole was last year’s 15^th pick and catcher Kellin Deglan went seven picks later. Two weeks ago, the Rangers sent last year’s No. 45 pick, pitcher Luke Jackson, here.

Skole, a two-sport start at Blessed Trinity High in Roswell, Ga., had signed to play football and baseball at Georgia Tech, where he would have joined his older brother Matt for baseball.

Deglan, from Langley, British Columbia, played for Team Canada’s junior national team and was its MVP on a team that finished fourth at the 2010 World Junior Baseball Championships.

While being drafted accomplished their dream, a year ago Skole and Deglan faced the day with some anxiety.

Skole was at one of his brother’s games that day.

“It felt like the two weeks going into the draft were the longest two weeks ever,” Skole said. “I wanted to see what was going to happen… (I was) getting updates on people’s phones and then the press box started looking at the TV, but it was cool.

“It was really exciting because there’s a lot of people, a lot of family and friends at the game, a lot of phone calls, too many texts to read, too many phone calls to pick up.”

Deglan said he was excited and then the reality of his future crept in with his selection.

“It’s pretty overwhelming, the whole situation, just knowing that this is going to be my career and really my first job ever,” Deglan said.  “It’s just crazy.

“I was still in high school in grade 12 and my whole life was going to change at that moment.”

Both players signed quickly and played briefly in the Arizona Summer League before finishing the season with the short season affiliate at Spokane, Wash.

Since they were drafted, the world of baseball has offered a positive assessment of their talent. Baseball American named Skole the Rangers’ ninth-best prospect and Deglan is No. 16.

The Rangers have not been shy about pushing their top-rated talent, sending both to Hickory to play against some players who are four to six years older.

Skole and Deglan both have struggled with the bat. Skole is hitting .236 through Friday’s game and Deglan is at .208.

Both feel they are up to the task and look at age as an excuse.

“We know we are young, but this is a talent contest,” said Skole. “It doesn’t matter if there’s a 23-year-old on the mound…  He’s not going to do anything different to you because you are 18.”

Even so, expectations some fans have for a first-round pick can be overwhelming.

“You’ve got a lot of fan mail and people saying they look forward to seeing you in Texas in a few years and want our autograph,” said Deglan. “You just know there are a lot of people that are expecting you to be in a certain spot in a few years, but you’ve just got to stay in the moment and focus on winning here in Hickory and things will take care of themselves.”

As a catcher, Deglan may face a more significant challenge than Skole, at least in reaching the big leagues.

““Coming out as a high school catcher, is the most challenging position to develop,” said Mike Meccuci, the Rangers’ field coordinator. “It the one that takes the longest.

“If you look, whether you draft a high school shortstop or a center fielder, their rate at getting to the big leagues is shorter compared to drafting a catcher.

“It always takes a little bit long and we’re going to have to be patient there.” 

But as Skole and Deglan complete their first year of pro ball, they’ve come away with an appreciation for what they have experienced in the game.

Said Skole: “I don’t think you realize in a long season how much you are going to learn and how much you are going to take in and how much you thought you knew coming into the draft and what you know now is the biggest thing.”