Ben Deluzio is ready to begin his professional baseball career.
After being drafted in the 3rd round by the Miami Marlins on Friday, Deluzio says he will bypass a chance to go to Florida State in favor of signing a professional contract.
“I feel like this is the right decision for me to get ready and start the grind,” Deluzio said. “It definitely caught me off guard I’m ready to go and I’ll go with it.”
Deluzio was selected 80th overall, a pick that is slotted to receive a $680,000 signing bonus.
Deluzio, who batted .424 with 21 RBI for the Royals, was surprised when he saw his name announced Friday afternoon.
“We had been talking with the Mets and the Marlins and trying to figure something out but honestly I didn’t think it was actually going to happen so I’m pretty ecstatic,” Deluzio said.
Deluzio worked out in Miami for the Marlins and had an in-home visit with team scout Dave Dangler. He was at home watching the draft with his family on Friday afternoon.
“We set it up on an iPad. We were watching at the breakfast table and when it happened my heart just dropped so it was pretty cool,” Deluzio said.
The recent First Academy grad was a two-way starter for the football team that finished 12-1. He racked up nearly 1,300 offensive yards with 20 touchdowns and 72 tackles as safety.
Deluzio’s father, Don, played linebacker at Colorado in the mid 1980’s and his older sister, Alexa, just finished her college basketball career at Florida State.
Austin Lyon can be reached at austin.lyon@bhsn.com. Follow him on Twitter, @AustinRLyon