|
 LAKELAND, Fla. (AP) - Jeremy Bonderman knew he had a right arm suited for pitching, not raising in a classroom. So the Detroit Tigers pitcher earned a general equivalency diploma as a junior at Pasco (Wash.) High School and skipped his senior year to enter the draft at age 18.
"Taking the GED and moving on to my dream of playing baseball was what I wanted to do, and my mom and dad supported me," said Bonderman, who petitioned Major League Baseball to be eligible for the draft. "I thought I was going to go high in the first round, but I went 26th overall."
The Oakland Athletics took Bonderman in the June 2001 draft, making him the first U.S. native to be drafted after his junior year in high school. But because it took the A's two months to sign him, they couldn't place him in the minor leagues until the following season.
|