Okay, let’s talk about how I ended up following the Tyler Shelnut MLB draft situation. It wasn’t like I woke up one day and decided he was the guy to watch, you know? It happened more gradually.
Getting Started: Noticing the Name
So, I follow college baseball pretty regularly. Not super intense, but I keep an eye on the big conferences, especially the SEC. Florida Gators always have talent, right? I started hearing the name Shelnut pop up more often, I think it was during his later time at Florida. Didn’t stand out dramatically at first, just another solid player on a good team.
I remember watching a few Gators games here and there. Didn’t specifically tune in for him initially, but you start noticing guys who seem to show up in key moments or have a good swing. He struck me as one of those players who just seemed… solid. Nothing flashy maybe, but dependable.
Leading Up to the Draft
As draft season starts to heat up, you naturally begin looking at who might get picked from the teams you follow. I pulled up some stats, just basic stuff like batting average, home runs, RBIs. Saw his numbers were decent, looked like he had some pop in his bat.
Then I started digging a little, just casually. Reading snippets online, forum comments, that sort of thing. Trying to get a feel for what scouts, or at least other fans, were thinking. The consensus seemed to be he was a potential draftee, maybe not a top-round guy, but definitely on the radar. An outfielder with some power potential.
My Own Little Checklist:
- Followed his college team (Florida).
- Checked his basic stats online.
- Watched parts of games he played in.
- Read some fan chatter and basic online scouting notes.
Draft Day: Keeping Tabs
Alright, draft day. I wasn’t glued to the screen for every single pick, especially not the early rounds where I didn’t really expect him to go. But I kept a tab open on my computer, refreshing one of those live draft trackers every now and then.
You know how it is, you scroll through the names, see who’s going where. The first few rounds flew by. Then you get into the middle rounds, maybe rounds 4, 5, 6. That’s where I figured he might land, if he was going to get picked.
I specifically started looking for his name around the 5th round mark. Just scanning the list each time I refreshed. Click refresh… scroll… nope. Click refresh… scroll… nope. Did that for a bit.
The Pick: Baltimore Orioles
And then, boom. There it was. Tyler Shelnut – Baltimore Orioles. Round 5, pick 153 overall. I remember thinking, “Okay, Orioles. Interesting.” Baltimore’s been smart with their picks lately, building up that farm system.
My immediate thought wasn’t some deep analysis, more like, “Huh, good for him. Made it.” It’s always cool to see a guy you’ve casually followed get his shot.
So yeah, that was basically my process. Started by just watching college ball, noticed a player, kept half an eye on him as the draft approached, checked the live tracker, and saw he got picked up by the O’s. Nothing too scientific, just how I followed along from my couch.
