Gator Country

Fort Myers pitcher Hudson Boyd was considered one of the top High School pitchers in the country last year and went on to commit to play college baseball at Florida. That was before he was drafted 55th overall by the Minnesota Twins.

After being drafted, the 6-foot-2, 235-pound Boyd talked to Florida head coach Kevin O’Sullivan and told him that he was still very interested in Florida, and he had a number in mind that it would take in order for him to bypass college and sign with the Twins.

“I talked to coach O’Sullivan and I told him that it was going to take a million dollars in order for me to sign with the Twins, and pass up the opportunity to play for Florida,” Boyd said. “Coach O’Sullivan told me to stick to my number and to make sure to be firm with them, and get the million dollars I was looking for from the Twins. “

Talks with Minnesota started out slow as they do with most prospects but as the deadline approached, talks picked up and a deal was reached with only a few hours to spare.

“I didn’t talk to the Twins for a while but on Monday, they called about 7 o’clock or so and offered me the million dollars I was asking for so I decided to take the offer, and become a professional baseball player.”
The Bishop Verot star said he feels great about the decision he made but he only regrets one thing about the whole process.

“My dad and I were talking about it and the only thing I wish I would have done would have been to holdout longer and closer to the midnight deadline to see if I could have gotten $1.1 million or $1.2 million,” he said. “I still only believe that I would have gotten a million, but I would have been worth the shot.”

After signing the contract with the Twins, Boyd knew he had a phone call he had to make to O’Sullivan and he said the conversation went well.

“I knew that I had to call Coach Sully and tell him that I had signed,” he said. “When I called him, he said he was sad that I wouldn’t be able to play for him, but that he was proud that I got what I wanted. He told me that even though I’m a professional baseball that I better come by and visit him and the program.”

Boyd said visiting Gainesville will not be difficult because he is, and always will be, a Gator fan.

“I’m still a Gator at heart and I would have loved to play for them,” he said. “I will definitely visit Florida and Coach O’Sullivan. I have tons of friends who go there and play for them so it will not take much for me to visit Florida. I will always be a Gator fan.”

Boyd has already reported to the Twins organization and he found the details of his future this week.

“I went to the complex on Tuesday and signed all my paperwork and everything,” Boyd said. “Since then, I have been just working out and throwing. I will play in some instructional league games this season and report to high rookie league ball next season.”

Now that he has signed and has begun working out with the Twins, Boyd had one other thing he needed to take care of.

“I wanted to get a new car so I went and got a ’09 escalade the other day,” he said.

About the author

Andrew Spivey

Andrew always knew he wanted to be involved with sports in some capacity. He began by coaching high school football for six years before deciding to pursue a career in journalism. While coaching, he was a part of two state semifinal teams in the state of Alabama. Given his past coaching experience, he figured covering recruiting would be a perfect fit. He began his career as an intern for Rivals.com, covering University of Florida football recruiting. After interning with Rivals for six months, he joined the Gator Country family as a recruiting analyst. Andrew enjoys spending his free time on the golf course and watching his beloved Atlanta Braves. Follow him on Twitter at @AndrewSpiveyGC.

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