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'I wanted to be a Devil Ray' Brazelton confident he can help Tampa Bay soon
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) -- Dewon Brazelton doesn't think it'll be long before the Tampa Bay Devil Rays start reaping the benefits of selecting him in the baseball draft. The third overall pick is eager to prove the team made the right decision and said Tuesday that he expects his stay in the minor leagues to be a relatively short one. "You look at the stats. I feel like I can come in and play," the Middle Tennessee State right-hander said, alluding to pitching problems that have contributed to the Devil Rays having the worst record in the majors this season. "I feel like this team needs help immediately and that's why they were kind of attracted to me ... I didn't want to sit in the minor leagues forever. If I have to, that's somebody else's decision. But I feel like I can come in and make an immediate impact on the major league level." Brazelton led Middle Tennessee to a share of the Sun Belt Conference title in its first season in the league this year, going 13-1 with a 1.44 ERA. He pitched 10 complete games in 14 starts. His stock in the draft rose last summer when he led Team USA with a 6-0 record and an all-time Team USA-best 0.65 ERA. "If you look at what he did in the summer and then this year, he's a workhorse with good stuff to be a solid major league pitcher for a long time," said Devil Rays director of scouting Dan Jennings. "On top of all that, this is a tremendous kid." The 6-foot-4, 215-pound prospect struck out 148 and allowed just 22 walks in 148 innings this season, excelling on the field and in the classroom while also helping his mother care for his twin brother, Fewon, who nearly died at birth and has cerebral palsy. Brazelton was the second pitcher selected Tuesday behind Southern California's Mark Prior. There had been speculation that Minnesota might take Brazelton with the first pick, however the Tullahoma, Tenn., native said he was not disappointed that the Twins opted for high school catcher Joe Mauer. Tampa Bay, Brazelton insisted, was his preferred destination. "I didn't want to be No. 1. I wanted to be a Devil Ray," he said, adding that he didn't need to be selected first to validate his belief that he was worthy of the top pick. "The honor did appeal to me, but then it just wasn't the right fit. I felt like Tampa Bay was the right fit," the 20-year-old said. "I could be wrong. But from what I've been hearing, I was Tampa Bay's No. 1 pick. With Minnesota, they wanted his guy, they wanted that guy. I didn't want to be somebody's second-hand whatever. I wanted someone who felt like I was the No. 1 pitcher." Brazelton, however, would not be drawn into comparing himself to Prior, a friend and former Team USA teammate touted by Baseball America as possibly the best college pitcher ever. "He's a great pitcher," Brazelton said. "I'm not going to go into him being better or I'm better. He's good and I feel like I'm good, too." But while the hard-throwing pitcher thinks he has a shot at joining the Devil Rays rotation by early next season, team officials stressed they won't rush him through the minors. "We will try to get him in a position where he can have success, get his feet on the ground and get started," Jennings said. "It could be as early as a year. It could be three years. I don't think there's a set timetable. I think it's unfair to do that to a player." One thing Brazelton doesn't anticipate slowing his progress is protracted talks on his first contract. "If the Devil Rays come in and do what's right, then I'm going to do what's right. I'm not trying to hold out for $18 million. I'm not one of those guys. I want to play," he said. "I think the quicker I get in and get signed, the quicker I make it to the major leagues."
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