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“The Future Arrived”

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The Padres first round draft pick, Calvin Quantrill, was here last night, threw a bullpen session, met with us the media, and is headed this morning to Arizona and the Padres extended spring training camp.

Some week for the wiry 6’2, 190-pound flame throwing pitcher. Drafted out of Stanford on Thursady with the eighth pick; graduated at Palo Alto on Sunday. Drove all night here tos ign his contract, and noow is headed to the desert.

All confidence all the time, and that all the time, with his 95mph fastball and vicious sinker.

He pitched one year with the Cardinal at Sunken Diamond, tore an elbow ligament, early in the second season, and has been on a 14-month rehab plan since.

“I won’t be here long, but I hope to be back here by next year”, refering his early start to a pro career in Arizona, and his hopes to make the major league roster next spring.

The Padres game plansis for him to throw in short sessions for two weeks in bullpen workouts. He threw in the Padres bullpen on Monday afternoon for 10-minutes, with 15-front office execs on hand watching.

“It was a rush to be on a major league mound in a major league ballpark”.

He will then make a couple of starts, 2-innings in length in the Arizona Summer League, and then likely report to Tri Cities, the Rookie League team the Padres have in the Class A-Northwest League, with that arrival likely August 1st.

The Padres want him to pitch only 20-innings at Tri Cities, remembering he has not pitched in a real game since March of 2014 before the injury.

“Wow” was the only word he used to describe his feeling walking into the Padres clubhouse at 3pm on Monday.l :”I hung around and followed my Dad in clubhouses during his career, but this is my career now:”

His father Paul strung together a 14-year majjor league carrer and was a strong setup man and closer for the Blue Jays.

“He told me, remember it’s a game, but have fun”, but he also knows he will follow closely the rehab plan, conservative in nature, put together by LA surgeon Dr. Neil El Attrache. “Love the game and be a pro” were his parting words, father to his son.

He had no idea the Padres would take him, though :”four or five clubs were very interested all along” San Diego made the early move.

An MLB exec told me a team right behind the Padres would have taken him if San Diego had bypassed him at eight..

“He would not have lasted till our 24th pick” said GM AJ Preller, “we knew that, and that was why we acted quickly”

There is no fear in the righthander, on the mound, or his approach post-surgery. “I know the rate of success in Tommy John surgeries. This works”.

As he left the press conference, a closing comment, “It was a relief to getup on the mound, I waited a long time to pitch, I’m dreamed about this day for 15-years.

He signed at a slot figure around 3.6M, and will begin workouts Wednesday in Arizona with an eye on ASL action by July 1st.

Brimming with the fastball and sinker, full of confidence, he is read to start for a franchise that desperately needs him, sooner than later.

The Padres future has arrived. When he begins on the mound in San Diego cannot be far behind.

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