Major League Baseball Draft Becomes Tankersley's Big Day
6/8/2004 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
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TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - Junior Taylor Tankersley became the third player in school history to be selected in the first round of the MLB draft when the 2003 World Series Champion Florida Marlins selected the University of Alabama left-hander on Monday afternoon.
Following the draft on the Internet with family and friends in a room at the Sheraton Four Points in Tuscaloosa, Tankersley wasn't really anxious when his name was called because he thought it would be another 10-20 picks or so before he heard his name.
"I'm thinking when the second round starts I'll really be excited," Tankersley said. "When we heard my name I didn't know what team it was (that had selected me)."
When you're taken with the 27th overall pick any team is good, but Tankersley had an affinity for the Marlins going in.
"Going into it I liked the Marlins because they're a great organization," he said. "They have a great manager in Jack McKeon and it seemed a good fit for me, but I couldn't play favorites knowing I was at the mercy of the draft."
"The first rational thing that went through my mind was `I was the first pick of the defending World Champions.' That's pretty cool to me."
Another cool thing to Tankersley is that he'll get to hit as a national-leaguer.
Tankersley, who became the second first-round draft pick from the University of Alabama in the last three years, also became the school's highest drafted pitcher and second highest drafted player on Monday. The previously highest drafted pitcher was Kenny "Snake" Stabler, who was taken in the second round by Houston in 1967.
"I was writing names of the players down to keep up with it and I was halfway through writing Tankersley before I realized it was him," Taylor's father Tom Tankersley said. "It took Dana and me about 30 minutes just to catch our breath."
Taylor learned an interesting fact about Tuscaloosa retail on Monday, also. He and his family several sports apparel stores in town on Monday, but were unable to find a Florida Marlin's hat.
He will meet with Marlins representatives beginning Wednesday and hopes to have a deal in place quickly so he can begin playing.
Tankersley joins former Bama All-American selections Joe Vitiello and Jeremy Brown as the only three UA players taken in the first round of the MLB draft since 1966. Vitiello was the seventh overall pick by the Kansas City Royals in 1991, while Brown was the 31st overall selection by the Oakland Athletics in 2002.
