In
2002, Zack Greinke signed his first professional contract on the
grounds of the East Cobb Baseball Complex in Marietta, GA. Greinke
was participating in the PG WWBA 17u National Championship, and on
Sunday, another player from this tournament will be agreeing to terms
with an MLB organization.
Dominican
prospect Domingo Ayala has arrived at the WWBA as a member of the
East Coast Grays, and he is looking to sign a big time contract.
“Coach
said he needed a shortstop. I heard the big time scouts are all here,
so I came to play,” said Ayala.
Ayala,
who uses YouTube videos to showcase his talents, has been able to
impress with his ability to hit home runs, steal bases, hit for
average and play every position on the field.
Brian
Bridges is a scouting supervisor for the Atlanta Braves who has
signed multiple major leaguers including Jason Heyward, Craig Kimbrel
and Mike Minor. He hopes to add Ayala to the list.
“We’ve
been really scouting this guy for a long time," Bridges said. "We knew all 30 teams
would be on him, especially after seeing his videos on YouTube. It
would be nice to have a guy like him who wouldn’t miss a beat after
Chipper (Jones) is done at Turner Field.“
The
Braves are not the only team who are interested the “17” year old
infielder.
“The Phillies and Nationals are having a bidding war right now," Ayala said. "I
think the number is around 1.2 million.”
Landing
Ayala could be crucial for these clubs. Nationals’ shortstop Ian
Desmond was recently scratched from the 2012 All-Star Game with an injury,
and the Phillies offense could use a powerful bat.
Even
with all of this attention from the pro level, Ayala is not ruling
out the possibility of going to college.
“I
hear that colleges only allow 11.7 scholarships for the team, so I (will) only ask for two or three.”
Perfect
Game will be holding a press conference at the East Cobb Baseball
Complex at 6:30 on Sunday night for Ayala to announce his decision.
He will be free to answer questions from the media, and is expected
to sign right on the spot.
When
asked if he was ready to make the jump to professional baseball, he
said, “I was ready last week.”