Cole Figueroa may have heard his name called on draft day, but his heart is't set on leaving for the pros just yet.
The UF shortstop was selected in the sixth round of Major League Baseball's First-Year Player Draft by the San Diego Padres on Thursday. Figueroa said he expected to go in the first three rounds of the draft, and he had the opportunity.
"I got a call in the third round from the Rangers," he said. "They wanted it to be straightforward negotiations where you take the slot, and that wasn't really what I was looking for, so they went by me."
The Padres also called with an offer for sixth-round money, and Figueroa again turned it down. So it was much to his surprise when he saw that San Diego had taken him anyway.
"After the third round, I wasn't really watching," he said. "I kind of just turned it off and thought I was just going to come back to school."
Now begins the drawn-out process of negotiations. Figueroa has until Aug. 15 to make his decision, but said he'll likely have a good idea of where he stands by the end of July. For now, he is headed to play in the Cape Cod League for the summer.
"What I'm doing right now is taking the middle ground and just acting like I'm coming back to school and doing the things I would be doing regardless," he said. "If the offer is there, I might sign, or I might come back to school anyway.
"I really like going to the university. I love playing for our team, I love the players, I love the coaches. If I end up coming back to school, I'll be happy. I definitely don't want to leave right away. I feel like we have a lot more to accomplish, but on the other hand, you kind of have to see what the future holds for you sometimes."
Figueroa does have pretty good leverage, as he still has two more years of eligibility left, which means he has two more chances to be drafted. This is something the Padres are well aware of.
"Hopefully we can convince him to start his pro career, as he is a solid left-handed hitting middle infielder who has terrific instincts for the game," said Paul DePodesta, a front-office assistant for San Diego and former general manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers, in his blog on Thursday. "He's another player who seemed to raise his game when it counted the most."
If Figueroa does decide to sign, it will be a major loss for the Gators. He started all 58 games this season and led the team in total bases (119), RBIs (57) and home runs (nine). He was also second on the squad in batting average (.350), hits (78), runs (61), doubles (12) and slugging percentage (.534), while also anchoring the middle of the infield.
Other current Gators who were drafted include junior Avery Barnes, who was taken in the 40th round by the Washington Nationals, and senior Josh Edmondson, who was chosen by the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in the 41st round. Santa Fe Community College pitcher John Lambert was also selected by the Nationals in the 36th round.
