A long, anxious wait ended for Ball State University center fielder Jeremy Hazelbaker 27 picks into the fourth round of the MLB First-Year Player Draft when the Boston Red Sox made him the 138th overall pick.
Hazelbaker was projected to be selected between the second and fourth rounds of the draft, which is being held this week. The junior did not hear his name called during the first three rounds, held Tuesday night and spent a sleepless night waiting for the fourth round to start at noon Wednesday.
Hazelbaker said he was called by Joe Bick, his adviser, before the Red Sox took him.
"The first word he said was 'Boston,'" Hazelbaker said. "He said he thought Boston would take me in the fourth round and he wanted to make sure I was all right with that. Of course, I was perfectly fine with that."
Hazelbaker is the first Cardinal to be selected by Boston and the highest draft choice from Ball State since 2006. Pitcher Ben Snyder was selected 116th overall by the San Francisco Giants that year.
Coach Greg Beals is thrilled his star was taken so high.
"I feel like it was a fair draft," Beals said. "It's an organization we knew had great interest. Before the draft I actually predicted Boston in the third round."
Despite Beals' prediction, Hazelbaker said he wasn't sure the Red Sox would draft him.
"I was given a list of 10 teams that were really interested before the draft," Hazelbaker said. "I talked to them as much as any other organization; it just seemed like routine interest."
Hazelbaker and his father watched the draft Wednesday at a family friend's house. His mother was too nervous to join them after watching the first three rounds Tuesday.
"She didn't want to watch," Hazelbaker said. "She stayed at home and went out with our horses. I was the first to call and tell her. She was very excited once she heard."
Traditionally, the Red Sox have drafted well during General Manager Theo Epstein's tenure. Recent Boston draft picks include 2008 AL MVP Dustin Pedroia and current Red Sox Jacoby Ellsbury and Justin Masterson.
Hazelbaker said he spoke to a current Boston minor leaguer, Brock Huntzinger, who was drafted out of Pendleton High School in the third round of 2007's draft.
"That's a very big club to get drafted into," Hazelbaker said. "I had known a kid drafted in the same position, and he said they're really good at developing young players."
The weight of being mentioned with players like Pedroia and Ellsbury is something Hazelbaker said he had thought about.
"That's a great feeling to potentially be thrown in with great players," Hazelbaker said. "But at the same time that's a lot on my mind."
The Red Sox drafted Hazelbaker as a center fielder, where he has played just one season. The All-Mid-American Conference selection's speed may eventually help him patrol Fenway Park's expansive center field.
"That's Jeremy's number one skill," Beals said. "He's a great fit for them because of the ballpark."
Fenway Park is still a tough journey away for Hazelbaker, who has never been to Boston. First he must sign with the Red Sox by August 17, or he will return to Ball State for his senior year. Bick brought the subject up with Hazelbaker today, but Hazelbaker said he wasn't sure.
"He told me to just enjoy the day with my family," he said.
Boston has had plenty of success signing their early selections. Boston has signed 28 of the last 29 players it drafted in the first four rounds.
Hazelbaker was Boston's fourth selection and second outfielder. High school outfielder Reymond Fuentes, the cousin of all-star Carlos Beltran, was Boston's first round selection.
"That's something I've definitely thought about," Hazelbaker said. "Competition is something I like a lot."
The team also selected Texas A&M University pitcher William Wilson and high school shortstop David Renfroe on the first day of the draft.
While a former Ball State player has never ascended to the ranks of the Red Sox before, the team previously wore hats modeled after Boston's "B". Now Hazelbaker may become the first Cardinal to sport one in a big league game.
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