In the 2015 MLB Amateur Draft, the first pick of the St. Louis Cardinals (23rd overall) was Nick Plummer, an 18-year old outfielder from Brother Rice High School in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan.
“I’m just very excited to be a part of the Cardinals,” said Plummer, who was expecting to be drafted somewhere in the 30s and was caught by surprise with the pick. “To be able to see my name get called up out of nowhere–kind of there was a moment of silence, like about three seconds of silence and then the family just erupted. I’m really happy to be part of the Cardinals and start playing with them.”
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The Cardinals did not have a private workout with Plummer, but had visited to see him play earlier during the winter.
Plummer hit 10 home runs as a junior and batted .520 for his high school team this spring with 68 runs scored, 23 RBI with 22 doubles and five triples. He also collected 32 stolen bases and struck out only 10 times with 32 walks.
“I think just overall, I’ll be a power and a speed guy,” answered Plummer of how both parts of his game will translate to pro ball. “I hadn’t had the home runs that I wanted this year, but translating into that with what I did this summer and seeing guys throwing 90-95 up in there, I have a short, compact swing so pretty much–I have a good feel for the barrel and a good feel for the strike zone. So when I’m facing that harder pitching, all I really need to do is square it up and the ball kind of flies by itself. I think my power’s going to be there and my speed’s going to be there.”
If the description of his swing sounds familiar, it might not be coincidence as Plummer is a fan of St. Louis Cardinals second baseman Kolten Wong.
“I like Kolten Wong a lot,” confirmed Plummer, who had posted a picture of Wong’s torn jersey from an October celebration on his Twitter feed. “I like the way he plays the game. He’s not a big dude, but he doesn’t need to be. He plays a big game and the guy is gonna get paid pretty soon. But I really like the player Kolten Wong is.”
Though he has a college commitment to Kentucky, Plummer shared that he had already been in contact with the coaches there and received their support to sign a professional contract.
All I can say is God works in mysterious ways, had no clue the @Cardinals were interested and I couldn't be happier! Thank you & #GoCards????
— Nick Plummer (@nplum11) June 9, 2015
photo credit: studentsports.com
