CHIMACUM — Pick. Pick. Pick.
Every draft pick made was akin to watching a clock tick for Landon Cray.
The 2012 Chimacum High School graduate had a pretty good idea that he would be drafted, but he had no idea when.
Finally, on Wednesday, the third and final day of the Major League Baseball draft, Cray was selected in the 18th round by the Tampa Bay Rays with the 538th overall pick.
Cray, who recently finished his junior season at Seattle University, was hanging around the house with his dad, Jared, in Chimacum, following the draft but also trying to stay busy.
“I talked to a lot of scouts this year and last year, so I kind of knew,” Cray said of being drafted. “I just didn’t know where.
“You want to get drafted as high as you can.
“I was just trying to keep my mind off it as much as I could.”
While watching TV, Cray’s phone blew up.
“It was kind of crazy. I started getting a ton of text messages,” he said.
“Then Tampa called me.”
That call from a Rays scout made it official: Cray is a professional baseball player.
“It’s really exciting,” Cray said. “I’m really excited to get to work.”
Cray was voted All-Peninsula Baseball MVP each of his four years at Chimacum (2009-2012) and helped the Cowboys win the 2011 Class 1A state championship.
This past season, he led Seattle in batting with a .324 average.
He also had four home runs, which tied for second on the team, three triples and 10 doubles. He committed only two errors in the outfield.
The left-hander batted better than .310 in each of his three seasons with the Redhawks.
As a sophomore, he was picked for the Western Athletic Conference first team after hitting .350.
Cray isn’t the first in his family to be drafted. In fact, he isn’t even the first to play in the Tampa Bay organization.
His uncle, Paul Sorrento, who spent two years with the Seattle Mariners in the 1990s, played for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in 1998 and 1999.
In response to drafting Cray, the Rays’ verified Twitter account tweeted that Sorrento hit the first two grand slams in club history.
Sorrento is a hitting coach with the Los Angeles Angels, who, coincidentally, were getting ready for the second game of a three-game series against Tampa in St. Petersburg on Wednesday.
Cray said Sorrento congratulated him on being drafted.
“He’s always been really supportive,” Cray said.
“He’s always told me to work hard. Working hard and staying humble, those are the two key things.”
Cray has one year of college eligibility remaining but has decided to begin his professional career rather than return for his senior season.
“I’m totally planning to sign and go wherever they send me,” Cray said.
The Rays told Cray they would call him after the draft to let him know where he would be going and discuss the signing details.
“It’s a job now, so that’s a little different,” Cray said.
“I know it’s kind of cliche, but it’s really not all about the money.
“I’ve got a long ways to go before I make a lot of money.”
Cray has played in summer leagues that require wood bats, including the prestigious Cape Cod League last summer, so he’s accustomed to playing without the metal bats that are used at the college level.
“I like swinging the wood a lot,” Cray said.
Cray said he knows players who are currently in the minor leagues, and has picked up advice from them about things to expect as he begins his career.
“Really, I’m going to do whatever is asked of me,” he said.
“I’m just going to try to outwork everybody.”
Cray is the first North Olympic Peninsula player to be drafted since Port Angeles’ Easton Napiontek was picked by the Texas Rangers in the 34th round of the 2013 draft.
Cray is the sixth player to be selected out of Seattle University, and the first since the program was reinstated in 2010.
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Sports Editor Lee Horton can be reached at 360-417-3525 or at lhorton@peninsuladailynews.com.
