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Rangers draft paralyzed college player - interesting read.

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Adam G

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Jan 25, 2009
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I'm a UGA alum, so I thought this was a very interesting move for the Rangers. Wonder if this kind of draft pick has ever been done before.

http://sports.espn.go.com/dallas/mlb/ne ... id=6641490

ATHENS, Ga. -- Georgia baseball player Johnathan Taylor, who was partially paralyzed after breaking his neck during a collision in a game against Florida State on March 6, was drafted by the Texas Rangers in the 33rd round of the amateur baseball draft on Wednesday.

Anyone who ever saw J.T. play knows that if he didn't have this tragic accident, he was going to play pro ball at some point.

” -- Georgia coach David Perno
"He's a great kid and he's going through a terrible time in his life and we thought this would be something to uplift him," Kip ****, the Rangers' director of amateur scouting, told ESPNDallas.com's Richard Durrett. "I've seen the kid play since high school, he was a great player at Georgia."
Taylor, who is completing rehab at the Shepherd Spinal Center in Atlanta, is paralyzed from the waist down but showing signs of improvement. He was released to the rehab facility's day program last month.
"This was truly a classy move and a great gesture on the part of the Texas Rangers organization," Georgia coach David Perno said in a statement released by the school. "J.T. is definitely a player worthy of getting drafted. He's been a big part of our program, and we are all very excited for him. When I talked to him after he got the call, he was in the middle of his rehabilitation work, laughing and having a good time and was thrilled to be drafted."
On Monday night, the Rangers selected Georgia outfielder Zach Cone with the 37th pick overall. Cone is one of Taylor's closest friends and was the player who collided with him in the outfield.
"We talk about being a franchise about family and we care about everyone in this organization, including the kids we draft," **** said. "Zach is family and we felt like Johnathan was a good person and someone we wanted to help."
Taylor's family is "very proud of him," his mother said in the statement.
"It's just amazing, and when he got the call, his face lit up, and we were all very excited. It was awesome news," Tandra Taylor said in the statement.
Taylor wasn't immediately available for comment.
"Just knowing the relationship J.T. and Zach have, I'm just glad it was the Rangers," Perno told ESPN.com. "J.T. is a guy that definitely was a prospect going into this season and was a guy you had to watch. He was a .320 hitter and could run. Anyone who ever saw J.T. play knows that if he didn't have this tragic accident, he was going to play pro ball at some point."
Taylor, a junior from Acworth, Ga., injured the C-5 and C-6 vertebrae in his neck. He underwent neck surgery the next day at St. Mary's Hospital in Athens to stabilize his spine and was transferred to Shepherd Center on March 11.
It was the second time in three years a Georgia baseball player has been paralyzed. In October 2009, freshman second baseman Chance Veazey broke his neck when his scooter was hit by a car near campus. Veazey currently works as a student assistant on Georgia's baseball team.
 

hockeyfights

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Mar 4, 2011
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Georgia
That's great for JT. The guys were playing for him and did really well to get as far as they did in the Conference tourney and the Regionals.

JT didn't get hurt on a scooter, but we've got to get our athletes off the scooters during their season. Too many of them getting into accidents. The article mentions Chance breaking his neck in a scooter accident, but Sweg also got into a scooter accident this spring and hurt his shoulder and couldn't pitch for a while. Has happened to football players too. :|
 

braden

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Aug 7, 2008
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Prospect report card-

Weaknesses: mobility




Seriously though, awesome gesture by the Rangers.
 

rymflaherty

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Aug 7, 2008
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That is a great story. Amazing gesture by the Rangers.

When you get to those late rounds - you obviously are picking "long shots" and seems a lot of the time you see kids of members of the organization and what not picked......so why not do something heartfelt like that. Thanks for posting.
 

Adam G

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Jan 25, 2009
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So, do you actually have to declare for the draft, or can a team draft anyone they want? Like if a 7 year old kid has a dying wish to be drafted by the Yankees, could they do it? Not up-to-date on these things.
 

FortyFour

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Aug 7, 2008
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Adam G said:
So, do you actually have to declare for the draft, or can a team draft anyone they want? Like if a 7 year old kid has a dying wish to be drafted by the Yankees, could they do it? Not up-to-date on these things.
They have to be draft eligible.
 

Adam G

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Jan 25, 2009
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boxbreaker44 said:
Adam G said:
So, do you actually have to declare for the draft, or can a team draft anyone they want? Like if a 7 year old kid has a dying wish to be drafted by the Yankees, could they do it? Not up-to-date on these things.
They have to be draft eligible.


Thanks

Did my own research, now I'm up-to-dated....

"Generally, a player is eligible for selection if the player is a resident of the United States or Canada and the player has never before signed a Major League or Minor League contract. Residents of Puerto Rico and other territories of the United States are eligible for the Draft. Also considered residents are players who enroll in a high school or college in the United States, regardless of where they are from originally.

Certain groups of players are ineligible for selection, generally because they are still in school. The basic categories of players eligible to be drafted are:

High school players, if they have graduated from high school and have not yet attended college or junior college;
College players, from four-year colleges who have either completed their junior or senior years or are at least 21 years old; and
Junior college players, regardless of how many years of school they have completed"
 

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