So how did you spend your weekend?
So how did you spend your weekend?
Kodi Medeiros, a recent Waiakea graduate and pitcher with a $2 million left arm, has a whopper of a tale to tell his future grandchildren someday.
And he’s set to put his signature on a contract Monday for a contract worth more than $2 million.
The Milwaukee Brewers made him a blue-chip commodity, and Major League Baseball gave him a tour of a lifetime, rolling out the red carpet in stops at Arizona, Milwaukee, Kansas City and New York.
He even got to shake MLB commissioner Bud Selig’s hand, after the Brewers picked him 12th overall in the first round of the MLB first-year player draft, making him the highest Hawaii player selected out of high school.
How many of you have been on national TV wearing a snazzy turquoise shirt and suit?
Medeiros was composed with all the impromptu questions, and he managed to sneak in a shout-out to his family. That must have been pretty rewarding for his parents, Robert and Kori Medeiros, and brother, Korin, who also wore a sharp suit.
“After I got picked, MLB was asking me tons of questions. Then I went to the conference room where two Milwaukee stations called me,” Medeiros said. “Fans were asking me questions, and my text messaging blew up, my Twitter feed, and all my followers, and I couldn’t keep track of all the people who congratulated me.
“I’m almost caught up. I’m hitting back everybody with calls. It’s really overwhelming with social media. A lot of people would say, ‘Congratulations,’ and wanted to talk story, but I could only say, ‘I’ll talk to you later.’ It was a really long day.”
After Thursday’s first round, the family finally returned past midnight to their hotel, where a couple nights could drain a bank account faster than you could scream, “Hello, Wisconsin,” like the cast from “That 70’s Show.”
MLB footed the bill for everything.
The Medeiros family flew out from New York on Friday afternoon to Las Vegas, where they’re staying with Kori’s sister.
Milwaukee’s 12th overall pick has an assigned value of $2,805,700. There’s isn’t a lot of wiggle room because there’s a cap for the first 10 rounds, and the next two picks reportedly signed for more than slot money.
Medeiros said he expects to sign Monday when the Brewers fly to Vegas. Then the team will fly the family to Milwaukee, where he’ll undergo a physical and watch a few games.
To replenish a mediocre farm system, ranked 29th by minorleagueball.com, the Brewers drafted 27 pitchers out of their 41 picks, including Saint Louis right-hander Jordan Yamamoto in the 12th round.
Yamamoto outdueled Medeiros with a 2-0 win in quarterfinals at the Division I state tournament in May on Oahu. The two could possibly be teammates if Yamamoto turns down a scholarship to Arizona.
Dave Matranga, from psisports.com, is an advisor to Medeiros and Yamamoto. Matranga is the agent for Kolten and Kean Wong, and several other local players, including Iolana Akau, Kela Kaaihui, Branden Kaupe and Lenny Linsky.
The MLB travel whirlwind wasn’t the first time Medeiros has been stuck on a long plane ride to an enjoyable and memorable destination.
In 2011, he was a member, along with his brother Korin and Kean Wong, on the Hilo All-Stars World Series championship ballclub that traveled to Maine.
“It’s my second time I was on a long plane ride,” Medeiros said. “I was pretty used to it, and everything went fine.”
In the minor leagues, as Wong, who’s at Single-A ball with the Tampa Bay Rays, can tell him nothing is first class. There are bus rides to sleepy towns. The routine of games are based to improve and weed out competition, even on your own team.
“I know the bus rides won’t be enjoyable, but I’ll find a way to deal with it,” Medeiros said.
Actually, there is something that’s first class in the minors, and that’s talent, especially all those commodities worth millions.