New Zealand pitcher Ben Thompson now faces a massive career decision after being drafted by Major League Baseball's Atlanta Braves.

Thompson, 21, was picked up as the 847th overall pick in the 28th round of the MLB first-year draft on Wednesday (Thursday NZ time).

But the Aucklander was due to move to NCAA Division One school, Tulane University in New Orleans.

He has been playing for the Alberta-based Okotoks Dawgs in Canada's Western Major Baseball League in recent weeks after starring for an Arizona junior college team.

"Being drafted wasn't a complete surprise, but I wasn't sure it was going to happen and it might change the plans about university," Thompson said from Canada.

Thompson had been in impressive form for his Chandler Gilbert Community College team in Arizona this year after missing the whole of the 2017-18 season with an elbow injury which required surgery.

He was delighted to be picked up by the Braves. 

"It means a lot that that an organisation of the stature of the Atlanta Braves think of me so highly, they've followed me from the start in Arizona. I'm ecstatic to get picked by them. They're a class organisation," said Thompson.

The six-foot five (1.98m) 100kg right-hander joins fellow Aucklanders Scott Campbell and Dan Devonshire as the only Kiwi natives selected in the MLB Draft. Campbell went in the 10th round of the 2006 Draft to the Toronto Blue Jays and came agonisingly close to making to the majors before a hip injury curtailed his career while Devonshire was taken in the 37th round of the 2012 Draft, also by the Blue Jays.

"I'm really happy for Ben, as he has worked extremely hard, for a long period of time, to get this opportunity," Baseball New Zealand national coach Dan Tan said.

"He has spent the last four years of his life away from home playing ball, he has battled back from surgery, on top of this he manages to find time to give back to the next generation of New Zealand ball players whenever he has the chance.

"Congratulations to Ben and his family, on this awesome achievement," said Tan.

Thompson will be a certainty for the New Zealand Diamondblacks team to attend the Olympic Qualifiers and the New Zealand U23 team that will contest the Oceania Qualifiers over summer depending on whether the Braves release him to play.

Thompson told The Calgary Sun newspaper this week that he started his baseball career by accident.

"My parents went out of town one weekend and I had to stay at a friend's place. He had baseball the next morning, so I had to go to the field with him. I kind of got into it from there."

A Canadian pitcher, Jamie Wilson, encouraged him to move to Alberta to join the Okotoks Dawgs' academy. 

Thompson played baseball at Foothills Composite High School in Okotoks and was signed by the Chandler Gilbert Coyotes.

After his recovery from elbow surgery, he was clocked at pitching between 90mph (144kmh) and 93mph (150kmh) in junior college ball.

Over 30 NCAA schools contacted him, but he chose Tulane University, which has a good record for developing Major League talent.

Thompson, who has lived in North America for five years but will enter the Georgia club's minor league farm system.

He is the second New Zealand pitcher to be signed by a MLB club in the last two years.

Auckland Tuatara hurler Kyle Glogoski, 20, has been impressing in the Philadelphia Phillies farm system after signing in 2018.

Thompson is the second New Zealander to sign for the Braves.

Travis Wilson, who made it to triple-A level - one tier below the Major Leagues - joined the Braves in 1996 after he helped the New Zealand Black Sox win the world softball championships.

No New Zealander has yet played in the Major Leagues.

Article by stuff: Friday 07 June 2019