[ad_1]
Posted at 19h41 AND 15 July 2019 |
HOOVER, Alabama – Felepe Franks was as surprised as anyone when the Boston Red Sox picked him up in the 31st round of the MLB draft (947th overall) early last month.
The Florida Gators quarterback learned the week before that the organization was interested in him, but it's not like baseball was a big deal. He has not played since he was junior at Wakulla High in Crawfordville in 2015. Indeed, football has been his main goal since then and still is.
But now, Franks has a backup plan – Friday, Boston announced that he had signed the Florida quarterback. He received a signing bonus of $ 40,000.
Florida quarterback Feleipe Franks speaks at the NCAA Southeastern Conference Media Football Day on Monday, July 15, 2019 in Hoover, Alabama. (AP Photo / Butch Dill) (Photo: The associated press)
"They've given me a good opportunity with a big organization," Franks said Monday at SEC Media Days.
"They need a lot of help in the poster, it looks like. We fought this way, "joked Gators head coach Dan Mullen, himself a supporter of the Red Sox. "He can throw. He has a lot of heat. He said that he threw at 95 in the workout for them. I've seen, however, that he's still working on his accuracy. I do not know if I would like to enter the batter's penalty area when he throws 95. "
Franks said about his coach's comments that Mullen "would not want to be in there because he would get fired."
Franks had not yet anticipated that his fastball would be in the mid-90s. He was the country's No. 41 right-handed pitcher in the 2016 promotion, according to Perfect Game, but he was in the lead at 89 or 90 miles behind. In high school, and he said that he did not practice much before throwing for the Red Sox.
"It was natural," he says. "If I had worked on it, I think I could go faster. But I did not work too much.
More: Florida Gators quarterback Feleipe Franks signs deal with Boston Red Sox
More: Dan Mullen, Florida The Gators are not afraid of high expectations in the second year
Under the NCAA rules, the Franks can sign with the Red Sox, but as long as he does not sign any approval contract or play for Boston while he is a university athlete, he is still eligible for the Gators.
Franks, of course, is busy with football. The junior redshirt has just completed its 2018 campaign during which it completed 58.4% of its passes for 2,457 yards and 24 touchdowns for a team of 10 wins, and the expectations are even greater for the head coach of Mullen in second year. The goal of the quarterback is still to play someday in the NFL.
But it's never bad to have options.
"I think it's a great honor for him to have this opportunity," Mullen said. "There's another quarterback that I've coached and that I do not know if anyone has heard of him." He is a minor baseball player in the league. He played for Triple A Mets at Tim Tebow and managed to try playing baseball.
"So maybe when football is over, maybe he has a future in baseball, it would be really exciting for him, I'd be really happy for him, I'm glad it's the Red Sox. I'm a big Red Sox fan, so if one of our guys was to be part of a team, I'd love it to be the Red Sox. "
[ad_2]
Source link