Arkansas pitcher Gage Wood throws to a Texas A&M batter during an NCAA college baseball game, May 17, 2024, in College Station, Texas.
Meredith Seaver | College Station Eagle via AP
It’s been an eye-opening experience for Gage Wood, the Philadelphia Phillies’ first-round draft pick.
The right-handed pitcher from the University of Arkansas officially signed a $3 million contract on Tuesday and will report this week to the Phillies’ training complex in Clearwater, Florida.
The 26th overall pick has already had a taste of what his Philly future could be.
“It’s awesome. I got to come up here to Philly for the first time, I worked my whole life for this,” the 21-year-old Wood said. “It’s a blessing and I can’t wait to get going.”
Wood had spent a few days in the city, seeing an explosive fan reaction when Kyle Schwarber hit a grand slam that proved to be a winning blow over the Angels on Saturday night, and having his family with him in Citizens Bank Park to see the Phillies beat the Red Sox on Monday night on a catcher’s interference call.
“The stadium’s awesome, the fans are awesome and the environment is incredible,” Wood said. “It was really surreal.”
When he hasn’t been at the ballpark, Wood added, “I’ve been working out at the hotel, and we’ve been playing catch in the strip of grass right across the road.”
It doesn’t get any more thrilling than that.
When it comes to his status, however, Wood isn’t one for hyperbole. The kid who threw a 19-strikeout no-hitter in the College World Series was asked if he thought that set him apart from other first-round draftees.
College and the professional level are two different stages, so I don’t want to get ahead of anything,” Wood said.
For now, his focus is on Florida, where he should find out when and where his professional career will begin.
“I’m going to work as hard as I can to perform the best that I can,” Wood said. “But I’ll let the people in the front office make that decision.”
Hill becomes oldest player in majors at 45 with Royals
Rich Hill became the oldest active player in baseball when he started against the Cubs in Chicago on Tuesday night after the Kansas City Royals selected the 45-year-old from Triple-A Omaha.
In corresponding moves, the Royals optioned right-hander Andrew Hoffman to Omaha and designated outfielder Tyler Gentry for assignment.
Hill’s start at Wrigley Field marked the debut of his 21st season in the majors and his first with Kansas City. The Royals are his 14th major league team, matching Edwin Jackson’s record.
Hill became the oldest player to start a major league game since May 27, 2012, when lefty Jamie Moyer tossed his final game with Colorado at age 49.
Royals manager Matt Quatraro said there was no pitch-count limitation on Hill, noting the left-hander was “built up” had been in the 90-pitch range at Omaha.
“Well, it speaks to his drive, right?” Quatraro said. “He’s played this game forever and clearly he’s not doing it for the money or being a big leaguer. He’s doing it because he loves it and because he can still be good at it.”
Local journalism matters, and your support makes it possible. You can help sustain this work by making a donation or choosing one of our subscription options. Subscribers enjoy valuable benefits, including full access to our e-edition, a reduced ad experience on timesleader.com, and more.
Your support helps ensure independent, high-quality local news remains available today and for future generations. Thank you for standing with local journalism.