Whitson spurns Padres, plans to play for Florida Gators
CHIPLEY — Chipley High School’s Karsten Whitson is on his way to the University of Florida. His father, Kent Whitson, said the decision was "100 percent Karsten’s."
Kent Whitson said the terms offered by the San Diego "were not even close” to sway the right-handed pitcher.
Whitson was slotted to receive between $1.9 and $2 million, but players chosen before and after him earned slightly more than the recommended amounts set by Major League Baseball.
The Whitsons were in Tallahassee when they made the decision. Orientation at Florida is Tuesday and the Whitsons are on their way to Gainesville, they said.
“At the end of the day you have to admire his chops," Kent Whitson said. "It’s been his desire all his life to play for Florida," but (Karsten) said the decision was difficult.
The Padres used the ninth overall pick to select the 6-foot-4, 190-pounder in the first round of June’s MLB Draft.
Whitson went 7-3 last season with a 0.62 ERA. He had 123 strikeouts in 55 innings while issuing only 15 walks and 16 hits. In addition to the Aflac All-American Game, Whitson last summer pitched on the 18-under Team USA that won the gold medal in the Pan American Junior Championship in Venezuela.
Whitson is the first high school pitcher selected by the Padres with their first pick since Mark Phillips in 2000. Whitson was the second high school pitcher selected in the draft and the fifth pitcher overall. The first high school pitcher selected was right-hander Jameson Taillon of The Woodlands, Texas. He went to the Pirates with the second overall pick.
He also was the area’s highest-drafted player. Mosley’s Cody Johnson previously held the distinction when he was taken No. 24 by Atlanta in 2006. Johnson signed for $1.4 million with the Braves one day after being drafted.
Once he enrolls at Florida, Whitson won’t be eligible to be drafted again until after his junior season in three years. He also could have opted to go to a junior college, where he would have been eligible to be drafted again next spring.
Classes begin at Florida on Monday, the same day many area jucos also start.
News Herald writer Brad Milner contributed to this report
