Whitson drafted ninth
SUNNY HILLS — Karsten Whitson looked pretty cool until the ninth pick of the 2010 Major League Baseball Draft on Monday night. The cool lasted until Commissioner Bud Selig announced that the San Diego Padres had chosen Whitson.
“I’m still in shock,” Whitson said as he wiped his eyes after being congratulated by family and friends at a celebration party at Sunny Hills Golf & Country Club.
The lounge was packed as Selig made the announcement. The Padres were one of the teams that showed considerable interest in the 6-foot-4 right-hander who finished his senior season at Chipley High School with a 7-3 record and 123 strikeouts in 55 innings.
“The Padres came to see him a few months ago,” Chipley coach Andy Compton said.
Compton was confident that his ace pitcher was a Top 10 prospect, even after Whitson committed to play for the University of Florida.
“Until last summer I wasn’t really sure where he would be drafted,” Compton said. “We went to the USA Baseball Tournament of Stars where they choose the USA Under-18 team from the top 144 players in the country.
“His first game he gave as excellent a performance as I have seen in the four years I have been at the tournament. His performance solidified him as a top prospect. When the best hitters came up, he performed his best.”
That included striking out No. 1 overall pick Bryce Harper, who was chosen by the Washington Nationals, in the AFLAC All-Star Game at, interestingly enough, Petco Park in San Diego.
“I threw a fastball right by him,” Whitson said.
“It was a crazy draft. I am so excited. I’m ready to play and I’m ready to go.”
Whitson was the loftiest area pick in the history of the draft, taken earlier than Mosley’s Cody Johnson, selected by Atlanta with the 24th pick in 2006. He is believed to be the first player ever drafted from Chipley High School.
Next comes negotiations with the Padres. Whitson was contacted by the Padres at the party in Sunny Hills, and negotiations are in the hands of his representatives, SFX Baseball, Inc, one of the leading baseball marketing and management agencies.
Whitson is known for a fastball that has been clocked as high as 96 mph and consistently in the 92-94 range. He also possesses a developing slider upwards of 82-83 and opened eyes with a competent third pitch, a change-up, which is a rarity with some high-schoolers. He said he’s made the most progress with the change-up over the past year.
Mock drafts by BaseballAmerica.com and MLB.com had Whitson going in the Top 10. One had him headed to the New York Mets at No. 7 and the other to either the Padres at No. 9 or to Florida at 23.
He has until Aug. 16 to come to terms with the Padres. If he doesn’t sign a contract and heads to Florida he won’t be eligible for the draft again until after his junior season.
