First-round draft pick Brendon Little discusses signing with Chicago Cubs

State College of Florida’s Brendon Little took the steps to begin his pro baseball career this past week.

The Chicago Cubs signed Little to a reported $2.2 million bonus, per MLB.com’s Jim Callis.

The week before, the Cubs drafted Little, a left-handed pitcher, with the 27th pick in the first round of Major League Baseball’s First-Year Player Draft.

“It was definitely a dream come true,” Little told the Herald. “I didn’t even believe it, until I saw it on TV. So I was just so elated.”

Little and his adviser, Andrew Lowenthal, entered a speedy negotiation with Chicago. The two sides agreed to the standard five-year minor league contract and arrived at the reported bonus less than a week after the draft.

Little confirmed the $2.2 million figure to the Herald on Saturday from Mesa, Ariz., where he is with the Cubs organization along with other draft picks they signed.

“It kind of hit when I took an Uber from the airport to the hotel,” Little said. “Just driving in a completely new area, literally in a desert now. And the only reason why I’m here is to play professional baseball, so I feel like that’s when it all hit.”

Little signed the deal with the Cubs on Tuesday after he flew to Arizona last Sunday and spent Monday taking tests and a physical. After passing the physical, Little, who said he hasn’t been assigned anywhere yet, was ready to begin his pro career.

“To come out here and have to go through that acclimation phase, definitely me and everyone else, we’re just ready, really anxious to get playing,” Little said. “And start our pro careers. This is new to everyone.”

Little said his parents instilled a humble outlook, so that translates into him stockpiling that bonus money in the event that he needs it down the road.

“I’m going to pretty much put it all away, except for what I need to live off of,” Little said. “... It’s just a really nice safety net to have.”

Adjusting to the desert heat is the biggest challenge Little’s faced so far.

“Down in Florida, for example, every time you leave your house, you’d definitely just start sweating,” Little said. “That’s just not the case here. The only real difference is that it’s almost like someone has a hair dryer in your face the whole time. The air’s so hot. It’s harder to breathe in.”

Little, who hails from the Philadelphia area, was the Manatees’ ace in the spring. He posted a 2.53 earned-run average in 15 starts, with a 14.03 strikeout rate.

Little pitched one season at State College of Florida after beginning his career at the University of North Carolina. Little didn’t pitch much for UNC, but he turned heads last summer in the Cape Cod League and continued that form as a sophomore transfer to SCF.

With the Manatees, Little added a change-up that he learned from pitching coach Don Robinson, who won the 1979 World Series with the Pittsburgh Pirates, to pair with his plus-fastball and plus-curveball.

“He really meant everything to me,” Little said. “He really helped simplify everything for me. But, also, the biggest thing was being around a professional mindset. I had never really been coached by someone who had near the resume that he does. ... Just learning how to call a game, how to really simplify things, my mechanics, how to turn around an outing if things aren’t going well. But, yeah, he really meant everything down at SCF. I don’t think I’d be in the same spot if it weren’t for him.”

Little wasn’t the only Manatee selected. Jackson Tetreault (Washington Nationals, seventh round), Keshawn Lynch (Arizona Diamondbacks, 14th round), Ryan Karstetter (Detroit Tigers, 19th round) and Reilly Johnson (Toronto Blue Jays, 30th round) also were chosen in the MLB Draft last week.

The Washington Post reported Tetreault, a right-handed pitcher who struck out 105 batters in 80 1/3 innings in the spring, was one of 25 draftees the Nationals have signed. The terms of that deal were not disclosed.

Karstetter signed with Detroit on Friday, and Johnson signed with the Blue Jays on Monday. Terms were not released. Lynch remained unsigned as of Saturday morning.

Two former SCF right-handed pitchers, Ryan Miller and Ryan Valdes, were drafted out of their four-year schools. The Pittsburgh Pirates signed Valdes, who played at the University of South Florida this past season, on Thursday. As of Saturday, Miller had not reached a deal with the Atlanta Braves after they chose him in the 31st round.

The deadline for drafted players to sign is July 15.

This story was originally published June 24, 2017 at 5:40 PM with the headline "First-round draft pick Brendon Little discusses signing with Chicago Cubs."