Remember Donovan Tate? He was the third overall pick in the 2009 MLB Amateur Draft, taken by the San Diego Padres. He was chosen ahead of such players as Mike Trout, James Paxton and Garrett Richards.
He played in the Padres organization for five seasons and then, last year, toiled in the Dodgers system for 10 whole games. He never made out out of A-ball in those six seasons, primarily due to injury problems and a drug problem that caused him to miss the entire 2014 season.
Tate was a highly-regarded high school quarterback before choosing baseball, so now he’s trying to pull a Reverse Tebow:
Actually, this is less a Reverse Tebow than it is a Chris Weinke, you may recall, played six seasons in the Blue Jays organization before quitting baseball, going back to college at age 25 and leading the Florida State Seminoles to the national championship. He even won the Heisman Trophy at age 28, giving Tate something to shoot for.
Tate is not getting a scholarship. The Padres, as many team do for their high school draft picks, will pay his tuition.
Good luck, Donovan.