Garnet Valley Graduate Drafted by Minnesota Twins
He pulled out of a college slump and has now hit a career home run.
Garnet Valley High School alum Andrew Bechtold was drafted into professional baseball last week by the Minnesota Twins.
After two disappointing seasons at the University of Maryland, Bechtold stepped back to the plate for Florida’s Chipola Junior College and knocked a career-changing comeback out of the park.
He was the first pick in the fifth round of this year’s Major League Baseball Draft, according to a Daily Times report by Matthew DeGeorge.
“It’s awesome,” he said last Tuesday. “I kind of knew today was going to be the day. There was some talks about it happening yesterday but it didn’t pan out. I knew today it was going to happen, just a matter of when. Minnesota had its eye on me for a while, and I’m really happy they picked me.”
The former All-Delco star now has a choice between LSU and the Twins, and he said there’s a high probability he’ll sign up for a pro career.
“Going to Chipola was the best thing for me,” he said. “The coaches there developed me, got me back on track and really let my athleticism take over. They revamped my career. It was just a good environment to get better. I think the way I developed throughout the year led me to this point.”
The draft pick, No. 136 overall, carries with it an estimated bonus of $378,700 for the 6-foot-1 third baseman.
Read more about Andrew Bechtold in the Daily Times here.
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