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Happy Camper: Altobelli drafted by, signs with Minnesota Twins
BY Matt Welch, mwelch@starlocalnews.com
Texas Tech senior, and Plano Senior alum, Bo Altobelli's life has been moving at warp speed the last week or so.
But on the afternoon of June 6 -- albeit just for a moment -- the former Wildcats catcher was given a chance to exhale, fresh off helping coach a local baseball camp when he was notified he had been drafted by the Minnesota Twins in the 2012 MLB First-Year Player Draft.
"Right when the camp got done with, they called," Altobelli said. "They asked if I'd agree to this amount to which I said 'yes' and five seconds later, my roommate back at Tech called to congratulate me."
It was just the news the catcher had been waiting to hear after a myriad of draft preparations that began during his junior campaign with the Red Raiders. There, clubs would send out questionnaires for the players to fill out.
Things amped up in the week leading up to the draft when Altobelli participated in a workout for the Houston Astros.
"Catchers threw from behind the plate, infielders threw from across the diamond, outfielders threw," he said. "It was just basically a four-hour scrimmage where each pitcher threw one or two innings and they evaluated us on that. There were about 30-40 prospects they were interested in from the region."
Altobelli said he had also been in touch with the Twins throughout the year and was informed by those affiliated with the Chicago White Sox that his projected draft value was somewhere in the 15th- to 20th-round range.
"The big thing in the draft this year was signability," Altobelli said. "Signability is a big emphasis this year with the new draft rules. They couldn't really have any picks go unsigned and they wanted to make sure what you were wanting and knew that you left your senior year for a certain amount.
"I guess I gave them the answer they wanted to hear because I was ready to play pro ball and luckily enough I got the opportunity."
It was a decision Altobelli had well in mind before June 6.
Having contemplated the matter since the Red Raiders' season came to a close and having spoken with family and coaches, Altobelli had his heart set on taking that next step in his career should the opportunity arise.
The Twins were there to answer that call.
And while the emphasis on signability and moving the signing deadline from mid-August to July 13 forces some spur-of-the-moment decisions, Altobelli's mind was made up beforehand.
"Pro ball is not a chance that everybody gets," he said. "I didn't want to look back on things wondering, 'What if?' I took the chance and can't wait to see what happens from here on out."
Altobelli had certainly done enough in his three years at Tech to warrant a chance.
Improving on his numbers each season, Altobelli batted .346 with a team-high 71 hits in 2012. The catcher also tallied 12 doubles, three home runs and 33 RBIs while throwing out 29 percent of would-be base stealers. An all Big-12 honorable mention selection, Altobelli worked his way onto the watch list of the Johnny Bench Award, an honor given to the nation's top catcher, for the second straight year.
All this after a high school tenure with the Wildcats that saw Altobelli named all-state and District 8-5A MVP in 2009, plus an all-district first team selection for three years.
"Once I got here, I could really tell how college makes you grow up," Altobelli said. "It's fascinating how some high school kids can go straight from there to play pro ball and looking back on it, I don't think I could have gone that route. College gets you away from home, doing things on your own and really prepares you for that next level."
The building blocks for that level have already taken form, with Altobelli enjoying some time to savor his accomplishment amid a flurry of congratulations.
A scout stopped by last Friday to finalize any remaining paperwork and on Sunday, Altobelli departed for Fort Myers, Fla., with the rest of the Minnesota rookies.
"[Wednesday] was my first real workout day," Altobelli said. "Luckily enough, I got put on the advanced short-season rookie ball team, so I [left] for Tennessee on Saturday night and will play about 60 games until the end of August. From then on out, they might sign me to a structural league and if not, then I'm kind of on my own until Spring Training rolls around next February."
Life has been moving fast for Altobelli, but as he continues to find his footing and grasp the magnitude of the chance he has, the Planoite wouldn't have it any other way.
"I think since I was a little leaguer, you're always watching games and hoping that could be you someday," he said. "I don't think it's fully set in yet that I have this chance, but it's definitely one of those things that I'm grateful for, thankful for and I want to do all I can to take advantage of this opportunity."
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