Bubba Starling offers advice for Royals draft picks: ‘Don’t take any day for granted’
Bubba Starling’s life forever changed on June 6, 2011.
When he looks back on that day, when he was selected with the fifth overall pick in the Major League Baseball Draft, Starling is happy to have joined the Royals organization.
“From my experience and other players’ experiences, the Royals are top notch, first class. They treat their players better than anyone I think in baseball, especially from what I’ve heard from other guys in different organizations,” Starling said in a video the Royals shared on Twitter.
“They look out for you. I struggled coming up through the minors and it took more years than other first-rounders would and they stuck with me and they truly believed in me and they gave me a chance and that’s why I love being a part of this organization.”
Starling, who was a multi-sport Gardner Edgerton High School star, dealt with a number of injuries and struggled at the plate for years. But he finally broke through and made it to the big leagues last year.
The Royals will have the fourth overall pick on Wednesday in the two-day MLB Draft.
In the video for the Royals, Starling offered counsel for those players who will be joining the organization.
“My advice I’d give to a new Royals draft pick is wake up every day and have fun with it,” Starling said. “Go out, be a great teammate, keep working hard, because it seems like just yesterday I was drafted and eight, nine years go by like that.
“Don’t take any day for granted. That’s some of the main things I would give to a new player. Listen to your coaches. Most of these coaches have been through the game of baseball and been in baseball many years, so take their advice and run with it.”
Here is the video, and Starling also talks about his draft-day experience:
