LONGVIEW — Easton Napiontek didn’t react when he heard that the Texas Rangers selected Easton Napiontek in the 34th round of the Major League Baseball draft.
“I heard my name in the background, but it didn’t click,” Napiontek said in a phone call Tuesday.
“My dad came up to me and said, ‘That’s you.’”
Napiontek, a 2012 graduate of Port Angeles High School, wasn’t completely surprised to hear he was drafted — to be following the Major League Baseball draft into the 34th round, one must be either borderline insane or a potential draftee — he just hadn’t yet crossed through the barrier that separates a dream from reality.
“Ever since I knew what pro ball was, it has always been a dream of mine,” Napiontek said.
“People would always ask, ‘What’s your backup plan?’
“I told them I didn’t really have a backup plan, I want to play professional baseball.”
Napiontek also was tipped off that the Texas Rangers would be his future organization when Rangers’ scout Gary McGraw contacted him around the 30th round and told him to keep his eyes peeled to the draft coverage on his computer.
“I sort of had an idea . . . but it’s always iffy,” Napiontek said.
“I thought that if I was going to be drafted, it would be by the Rangers.
“I’m excited for the opportunity. It’s a good organization.”
Napiontek’s name now joins the short list of Port Angeles Roughriders drafted by a MLB team.
Included on that list are Jeff Ridgway, drafted in 1999 in the 14th round by Tampa Bay, who went on to play in the big leagues for the Rays and the Atlanta Braves.
There’s also Matt Lane, picked by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 11th round of the 2006 draft after playing at the University of Washington, who Napiontek said he looked up to when he was younger.
Napiontek signed a contract with Texas on Monday, and he will report to the Rangers’ rookie league team in Surprise, Ariz., soon after completing the quarter at Lower Columbia Collge in Longview next week.
From there, it’s a long road to Arlington, where the Rangers are based.
And that road is traveled by bus, with stops in small towns, and nights spent and cheap hotels.
“I’m looking forward to the daily grind,” Napiontek said.
“I’m getting paid to do something a lot of people would love to do, and it’s something I’m passionate about.
“I’m excited for the opportunity. I’m going to be the first person there, and the last one to leave. I’ll give it 110 percent.”
McGraw said the “daily grind” probably won’t happen until next year.
Napiontek’s stay in Surprise will be about becoming acclimated to the life of professional baseball.
“Most of the time is spent working on being a professional baseball player,” McGraw said, “and learning how to represent the Rangers, his high school, LCC [Lower Columbia College] and his family well.
“He’ll be learning to be a Ranger.”
McGraw, who scouts Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Canada for the club, said he has been scouting the 6-foot-8 Napiontek for more than a year, and has seen him grow significantly as a pitcher during that time.
“He has progressed to the point where he can compete in the lower rungs of professional baseball,” McGraw said.
“And he fits the mold — we like big things in Texas.”
McGraw also said Napiontek is a “work in progress,” and that the organization will work on helping him learn to “pitch tall,” and induce ground balls, since balls tend to fly out of Rangers Ballpark in Arlington.
Napiontek’s athleticism and ability to adjust and adapt were also attractive to the Rangers, but not as much as the his overall characer.
“Obviously, we’re sold on a guy who is 6-foot-8 and throws hard,” McGraw said.
“He also fits the mold of being mature, being a role model and a good teammate.
“Every time I talk to Easton, he looks me in the eye, and he’s as honest as the day is long.”
“Guys like that have a chance to succeed.
“Like I told his parents, he’s a product of a good environment.”
Napiontek said leaving the Lower Columbia Red Devils baseball time after one season was difficult.
As the team’s closer, earned eight saves, had a 2.62 ERA, and struck out 19 batters in 24 innings pitched.
Ironically, by choosing to leave school for professional baseball, Napiontek provided himself the backup plan he never had.
Along with what he called a “pretty good signing bonus,” Napiontek’s contract with the Rangers also gives him three years of full tuition at a public university after his playing days are done.
“That was important to me, and helped me make my decision,” he said.
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Sports reporter Lee Horton can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5152 or at lhorton@peninsuladailynews.com.
