OVERLAND PARK, Kan. — Jonathan Sprinkle only recently believed what happened this week was even possible.
"I honestly didn't think it was going to be a thing out of high school," Sprinkle said.
That "thing" was playing professional baseball.
The tall, powerful pitcher was a good player at Blue Valley Northwest, but so were a lot of players. He signed to play baseball at the University of Central Missouri, an NCAA Division II school but a D-II powerhouse that regularly sees its players get drafted.
"I had my breakout year my sophomore year of college," Sprinkle said.
Sure enough, Sprinkle was an honorable mention All-American and won awards for his work in relief.
That year and his abbreviated junior year this spring were enough to not only put him on scouts' radars but also on draft boards of some teams, even though the 2020 MLB First-Year Player Draft was shortened to just five rounds.
It made for some anxious moments last week as the draft unfolded on television.
"I was sweating pretty bad that night, I'm not going to lie," Sprinkle, a 6-foot-6 right-hander, said.
He got a couple calls, but ultimately wasn't drafted in the first five rounds.
"I was a little let down," he admitted.
But once the drafted ended and free agency began, the calls kept coming.
"It was crazy," Sprinkle said. "My phone honestly crashed twice, which was weird."
Fibally, he got the call he wanted, one from the Houston Astros.
That left Sprinkle and his family with a decision to make: sign for $20,000 with the Astros or return for his senior year with the Mules.
He opted for what he once thought was just a dream, signing to play professional baseball.
"Me and my family made a decision that is going to affect me for the rest of my life," Sprinkle said, "and being a Houston Astro is something I'm really proud of and something that I'm really excited to get in and get to work."
The Astros will pay for the rest of Sprinkle's education. He'll join the organization once baseball's COVID-19 ban is lifted.
