‘Dream come true’: Wingham, Ont. teen ready to turn pro after being drafted by Kansas City Royals

Tyson Moran is the first Wingham resident to be selected in the draft. CTV London’s Scott Miller has more.

Tyson Moran became the first Wingham, Ont. resident to ever hear his name called in the MLB (Major League Baseball) draft. The 19-year-old is about to become a professional baseball player.

“Sounds really good. Oh, it’s a dream come true, and I’m looking forward to it,” said Moran.

Surrounded by family, friends and teammates, Moran was selected in the 13th round of the 20 round MLB draft on Monday, selected 398th overall by the Kansas City Royals. Not bad for a kid from a town of 3,000, where hockey is king, and it’s below zero for nearly half the year.

“It hasn’t soaked in yet. I’m sure it will in the next couple of days, but I’m just trying not to take it for granted,” he said.

“And trying to make sure that I take it step by step, so that I don’t get ahead of myself.”

Moran, who played for the Great Lake Canadians in Dorchester, put himself on Major League scouts’ radar in the past year, winning MVP at the Toronto Blue Jays Futures Showcase, and hitting two homeruns against professional pitchers in an Arizona-based showcase.

Moran was planning on playing at North Dakota State University this fall, but instead he’ll be heading to Arizona to join Kansas City’s other draftees in the Arizona Complex League. That will happen within the next couple of weeks.

“I won’t be playing for the Great Lakes anymore. I’ll be in the Kansas City Royals organization,” said Moran.

“Kind of just working my way up from ground zero. Kind of proving myself. It’s kind of the first step, if you will, to pro baseball.”

“This is why we do it. The Great Lake Canadians is a development program. We’re here to get these kids off. It’s mostly to college, but when we have an opportunity to get them into the pro world, it’s an amazing thing,” said Jamie Romak, former MLB player and one of Moran’s coaches, along with being Director of Player Performance for the Great Lake Canadians.

“So, super happy for the kid and his family. This is well warranted. He’s ready to go.”

Moran is fully aware that not many 13th round picks make it to the big leagues, but his coaches believe if there is a 13th round pick that will make it, it will be Tyson Moran.

“Obviously the hit tool is what really stands out with him. But I think the separator is going to be the make-up. There’s a tremendous amount of determination in Tyson,” said Romak, who played 27 games in the MLB in the 2014-15 season.

“You know he’s a player that Great Lake cut several times, but he kept coming back. He used it as motivation to improve his game and really take off. So, I think when it comes to sustaining yourself in a really difficult game, those are kind of the traits that scouts look for. When you pair a guy who can really hit with a guy who’s super determined, I think you have yourself a major league player, one day.”

Moran said being drafted means a lot to him.

“Obviously there’s projections to kind of see where guys might fit in. But again, those are never 100 per cent,” he said.

“Just to hear my name called, that’s kind of the 100 per cent for me to be kind of like, I did it.”

A sendoff party for Moran is planned for Friday at the Wingham Sportsmen’s Club from 6 p.m. until 11 p.m.