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LBSU
shortstop Tulowitzki on rocky mountain
high
By
Matt Pearson
Online Forty-Niner
Sports Editor
From
the first time a kid picks up a baseball,
he dreams of making it to the major leagues.
This dream became reality for former Long Beach State shortstop Troy Tulowitzki
June 7 when the Colorado Rockies selected him with the seventh overall pick
in Major League Baseball’s 2005 draft. This is the highest a 49er has
ever gone in the draft.
“It’s an awesome feeling,” Tulowitzki said.
Along with the Rockies, the Seattle Mariners were another franchise interested
in Tulowitzki’s talents. But Tulowitzki was not picky about what team
he wanted to play for.
“I just wanted to get drafted by an organization,” Tulowitzki said.
And there is no better organization than the Colorado Rockies, Tulowitzki said.
Although no official deal has been made between Tulowitzki and the Rockies,
Tulowitzki feels the two will agree on a deal shortly.
“I think we’re pretty close,” Tulowitzki said.
One general concern for every hitter going from college to the pros is the
switch from aluminum to wooden bats. But Tulowitzki is no stranger to lumber
as he used a wooden bat when he played for Team USA over the summer, where
he batted .299 with a team-best four homers.
“I feel great with a wood bat in my hands,” Tulowitzki said.
Despite being drafted to a team that is currently in last place in the National
League’s Western Division and has not been to the playoffs since 1995,
Tulowitzki is optimistic about the organization’s future.
“It looks like [the Rockies] are on their way up,” Tulowitzki said.
Although Tulowitzki is looking forward to life after college, he is still proud
to call himself a Dirtbag.
“Being a Dirtbag is awesome,” Tulowitzki said. “It’s
someone who plays the game the right way.” |
