Jhosandy Morel, the senior left-handed pitcher for Emerson High School’s baseball team, probably never thought that he would be signing a minor league contract with the Pittsburgh Pirates back when he started playing baseball in the streets of the Dominican Republic with his brother.
“Wow, this is great,” said the Dominican Republic native last week about moving on to work with the Pirates. Morel was drafted in the 26th round of picks last week and was able to sign the contract in front of his classmates in the gym of Emerson High School on Monday.
With more than 420 high schools in New Jersey, one high school may never have a player drafted to a major league team, or if they do, they may not again for another 10 to 20 years.
“Any school can go eight, 10, 15 to 20 years before a player from their school is drafted out of high school,” said Dana Brown, the East Coast Scouting Coordinator for the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Morel received a signing bonus and a scholarship to attend college during the fall semesters when he is not training.
“Now I have an opportunity,” said Morel, already wearing a Pirates jersey and baseball cap. “They let me play and give me the chance to go to school.”
“He is a professional in every sense of the word,” said Brown. Brown said that Morel will begin training with the Pirates at the end of the month, after his graduation ceremony on June 25.
Road to the majors
Although Morel plays for the Emerson Bulldogs, coaches and players at other schools were unable to overlook his talent. Brown first heard about Morel in a letter sent to him by a Union Hill High School coach.
“When you get a letter, you have to follow up on that letter,” said Brown. “You never know. This time, [Morel] was a draftable player.”
Emerson High School Assistant Baseball Coach Vin Mazzilli said that he would have done the same thing if he saw someone with talent on another team.
“As a coach, if we see a good player, we want them to get drafted,” said Mazzilli. “It is good for your city.”
After receiving the letter, Brown, who scouts for talent as far away as Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic, came three times during the season to see Morel pitch.
“I thought that he was a skinny kid who had a chance to get bigger and stronger,” said Brown.
Brown then worked closely with Mazzilli to help Morel improve his pitching speed and technique.
“He told me that I was going to have to change some things,” said Morel. “I listened and did what they told me to do.”
“He was a quick learner,” said Mazzilli, who also said that Morel has great arm strength. “That is what scouts like.”
While the road getting to the draft was not an easy one, Brown thinks that moving from the minors into the majors may be easier for Morel.
“Being left-handed, you never know how soon he’ll get to go up there,” said Brown, adding that Morel throws at 89 miles per hour already. “He can move pretty quickly.”