Published: June 06, 2008 10:38 pm            

Shephard taken by Pirates in MLB Draft

Navarro center fielder Jaron Shephard is living his dream.

Shepherd, who is from Kilgore, was drafted in the 17th round of the Major League Baseball Draft by the Pittsburgh Pirates with the 504 overall pick during the second day of the draft.

“When I first heard the news, I was pretty excited,” Shephard told the Longview News Journal. “I was one of 1,500 players around the country to get drafted and that’s exciting.”

Shepherd said his plans are to play summer baseball and prove he is higher than a 17th round pick.

“I really haven’t made the decision yet,” he said. “Once you get to the 17th round, the money isn’t that good.

“They’re going to call and we’ll talk about the price. If they offer me something I’m interested in, I’ll take a look. As it stands now, I’ll be going back to Navarro to raise my stock for next year.”

Shepherd helped lead the Bulldogs to a 46-9 overall record and a regular season Region XIV Conference championship.

The freshmen finished the season with a .336 batting average with 49 hits in 146 at bats. He had 30 RBIs, 12 doubles, three triples and four home runs to go with 12 stolen bases.

Navarro coach Whoa Dill said Shepherd is just scratching the surface of his potential.

“He’s a great player and he is going to end up going wherever he wants to go,” Dill said. “I knew he was going to get drafted, but I think he is going to come back and have a great year and his stock is going to rise.”

Two other Navarro players also were drafted Friday.

Pitcher Bryan Bingham was taken by the Detroit Tigers in the 40th round with the 1,213 overall pick.

Bingham, a University of Arkansas signee, had a record of 11-1 on the mound with a 3.03 ERA and 59 strikeouts.

Brett Parsons was drafted by the Tampa Bay Rays in the 41st round with the 1,223 pick overall.

Parsons had a batting average of .396 to lead Navarro with 10 home runs and 48 RBIs. The sophomore has signed to play baseball at Texas A&M next season.

        

• Click to discuss this story with other readers on our forums.