When asked about his decision to sign with the Minnesota Twins on Wednesday, O'Fallon High senior catcher Nick Tindall had a ready answer.
"It's a big opportunity that not a lot of people get to do," said Tindall, the Twins' 17th-round pick who signed his first professional contract on the kitchen table of his O'Fallon home flanked by parents John and Amy Tindall. "Just being able to wake up and play baseball every day is something I've been dreaming of for a long time."
That dream may not have included long bus rides, bullpen catching duties and trying to hit nasty sliders that dive away from the plate, but Tindall says bring it on.
He leaves Saturday for a rookie mini-camp in Florida, then will likely be assigned to their Gulf Coast League rookie-level club in Fort Myers, Fla.
"I've got to get used to the competition down there," he said. "I'm humble about everything, there's plenty of guys that are as good as me and I know that. I'm not going to get a big head about anything.
"I think it's going to be fun and hard work, but a lot of fun."
But Tindall comes armed with an impressive pedigree. Prep Baseball Report named him the top player in Illinois, and Tindall was chosen to several all-state teams after helping lead O'Fallon to a third-place finish at the Class 4A state tournament.
Armed with a scholarship from Southern Illinois University Carbondale, Tindall hit .492 this spring with a school-record 18 home runs and 64 RBIs. He also drew the scouts' attention with his physical size (6-foot-5, 190 pounds), potential for growth and defensive exploits behind the plate.
O'Fallon coach Jason Portz spoke with pride about having his first drafted player.
"When you put your program together, you hope you can produce players that can play at that level," Portz said. "That's the ultimate level your players can get to, where they're considered among the best in America.
"I think he's anxious to get his pro career going."
Tindall is the first O'Fallon High product to be drafted since former Panthers star and current assistant Brooks Colvin was drafted out of Missouri State.
Former O'Fallon High outfielder Walter "Smiley" Owens was drafted as an outfielder while playing at Odessa Junior College. Pitchers Todd McClure and Ernie Baker also were former O'Fallon standouts that were drafted.
"Nick Tindall is a kid that has the total package with athleticism, physical makeup and potential that's through the roof," Portz said.
The Twins have good luck with players from this region. Former Wesclin High standout Brent Brede was drafted out of high school and reached the major leagues with the Twins, later playing for the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Former Centralia High and McKendree University star Brian Dinkelman is one of the Twins' top minor-league hitters at the Class AA level. Another Centralia product, Gary Gaetti, starred for the Twins and later played for the Cardinals.
Portz said Tindall's release time -- from the time it takes him to catch a ball from the pitcher and throw it to second base -- is 1.8 to 1.85 seconds.
"Those are big-league type numbers and that helped draw the scouts to him," Portz said. "Then you put his frame and ability to block and frame pitches there. If he doesn't put together the offensive numbers he's still a draft pick, but probably a much later draft pick."
Money for college is included in Tindall's signing bonus.
"There's pros and cons to both sides of the decision," he said. "There were always more pros to the pro (baseball) side because I can always go play and go back to college. We set an amount and they didn't match it, but it was pretty close."
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