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Polk County Baseball Players Taken in 2024 MLB Draft

VaselineJuly 19, 2024

0 4 minutes read

Polk County Baseball Players Taken in 2024 MLB Draft

Three former Polk County High School baseball players, including two brothers, and three local college players were selected this week in the annual Major League Baseball Amateur Draft.

George Jenkins grad Jackson Ross was selected in the ninth round by the Washington Nationals, and younger brother Michael Ross was drafted in the 18th round by the Minnesota Twins. In between, Lakeland Christian’s Mack Estrada was selected in the 11th round by the New York Yankees.

Jackson is a 2018 graduate of George Jenkins and a bit of a late bloomer. A versatile player who played excellent shortstop for George Jenkins, he batted .269, had a .457 on-base percentage and proved to be a significant pitcher as well. He went 4-1 with a 0.48 ERA and finished third in his class academically.

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“He’s extremely intelligent, and that intelligence helped him pick himself up when he was struggling,” said Lake Region coach Chad Crosby, who coached Jackson under George Jenkins. “So he never really got into a slump, and as a pitcher, he learned right away how to throw, not just a fastball for a strike, but how to throw a curveball or a slider and how to throw a changeup. He would have been everybody’s No. 1 because he was so good, but he was so valuable as our shortstop.”

Crosby said Jackson had a strong work ethic in the weight room, a trait he also had in college.

Jackson could have gone to Florida on a scholarship, Crosby said, but he started his career at Pasco Hernando State College instead and ended up playing for three colleges. At Pasco-Hernando, he hit .346 in 84 games with 12 home runs, 90 RBIs and 88 runs scored. He then went to Florida Atlantic, where he played in 2022 and 2023 and was a first-team selection in Conference USA.

With an extra year of eligibility due to COVID, Ross transferred to Ole Miss and hit .280 with 10 home runs and 49 RBIs as a third baseman.

“He was probably 5-11 and 170 pounds. He had really good hand-eye coordination and baseball skills, but he lacked the physical strength. He was a late bloomer physically,” Pasco-Hernando coach Lyndon Coleman said. “He came to us and he committed every day in the weight room and on the baseball field and he blossomed. When he left here, he was 6-1 or 6-2 and an absolutely chiseled 205 or 210 pounds.”

Michael Ross graduated in 2020 after his senior season ended early due to COVID. He had become a top high school pitcher by his junior year when he went 8-1.

Michael, a 6-foot-3 right-handed pitcher, signed with Samford and, after limited playing time as a freshman, went 7-1 with a 3.77 ERA as a sophomore in 2022. He missed 2023 after undergoing Tommy John surgery but has rebounded this season, going undefeated at 13-0 with a 3.27 ERA.

Decision time for Estrada: Yankees or FSU?

It wasn’t a total surprise that Estrada was drafted; five teams had shown interest, but he didn’t expect the Yankees to come calling.

“It was surprising that there were five teams that showed the most interest, but the Yankees came out of nowhere,” he said. “I was excited because the Yankees were the team I wanted to sign with.”

Estrada was a two-sport standout at Lakeland Christian and was The Ledger’s Small School football defensive player of the year as a senior in 2022. By that time, he had emerged as a top pitching prospect with the ability to throw in the mid-90s. After a stellar junior season, when he went 8-0 with a 1.91 ERA, he was hampered by injuries in his senior season, when he went 3-1 with a 4.83 ERA.

Although he originally signed with USF, he opted to attend Northwest Florida State College instead. There, he was healthy and focused solely on pitching for the first time. He went 9-1 with a 4.20 ERA and 94 strikeouts in 79⅓ innings.

“I started prioritizing arm care and this was the first time I really focused solely on baseball,” he said. “I’ve played multiple sports my whole life and I came into an environment where I could just work and work every day, and there was absolutely nothing holding me back. So I was able to do that, and I also have the connections and the exposure in school to get in front of the right people.”

Estrada says he has no regrets about playing football in high school.

“I wouldn’t change it one bit,” he said. “If I had to do it over again, I would do exactly the same thing.”

Estrada has committed to Florida State, so he must make a decision by August 1.

“It’s not certain yet, but I’m very happy with the opportunity I have now,” he said.

Three local college players drafted

These three players from Polk Colleges were drafted:

Polk State pitcher Aiden Butler was selected in the ninth round by the Seattle Mariners. Butler is a Tallahassee native and went 8-1 with a 3.34 ERA last season.
Southeastern pitcher Ramsey David was selected in the 10th round by the Houston Astros. David is a Georgia native and went 6-2 with a 2.79 ERA.
Southeastern pitcher Colby Martin was drafted in the 16th round by the Toronto Blue Jays. Martin is a Pennsylvania native and went 1-0 with a 4.41 ERA in 17 relief appearances.

Palm Beach Post correspondent Patrick Yasinskas contributed to this report.

VaselineJuly 19, 2024

0 4 minutes read

Decision time for Estrada: Yankees or FSU?

Three local college players drafted

Vaseline

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