STARKVILLE — Former Starkville High School baseball and football standout A.J. Brown added to his workload Friday.
Already enrolled at Ole Miss as a member of the football team, Brown signed a professional baseball contract with the San Diego Padres. Brown is expected to play football at Ole Miss and baseball in the Padres organization. The signing only makes Brown ineligible for college baseball.
“It’s a unique deal,” Starkville baseball coach Travis Garner said. “My understanding of it all is that the Padres are going to make him show up for a certain amount of days in the summer time to fulfill his contract and none of it is going to affect Ole Miss football. Ole Miss football is going to be the priority and he’s going to work his baseball career around Ole Miss football.”
A 19th-round pick in last month’s amateur draft, Brown announced his signing with the Padres on his personal Twitter account. The Padres have not confirmed the signing.
This past season, Brown was a star wide receiver on the Mississippi High School Activities Association Class 6A state championship football team. In baseball, he hit in the heart of the lineup and played in the outfield, while batting better than .360. On National Signing Day in February, Brown had announced an intention of playing both sports with the Rebels.
“I’ve said this all along, I think if he wanted to have a serious career in the game of baseball, I think he’s got the talent and the ability to do it, “Garner said. “I think right now he wants to make football a priority and I think if football goes well, he’ll continue to make it a priority. I think if for some reason football doesn’t, he knows he’s got the ability to play baseball. Right now he’s going to dabble in both and whatever one he excels at is the one he’ll continue to pursue.”
The Starkville baseball team finished with an 18-11 overall record and advanced to the second round of the Class 6A playoffs. Brown earned Dandy Dozen honors from the Clarion-Ledger in both sports.
“Every organization came and saw him play and came and watched us play this year,” Garner said. “I know the Padres were very, very high on him. Just talking to professional scouts, they like his ability. I think if he wanted to do it, he could do it.
“He’s excited about signing. Obviously he knows it’s a dream come true in a way to be a part of a professional organization. At the same time, he’s just as excited about Ole Miss football. This right here gives him the opportunity to do both and that was important to him. He’s going to get to do both and we’ll see where it goes from there. He’s excited and we’re excited for him.”
Sports writer Ben Wait contributed to this report.
Follow Dispatch sports writer Scott Walters on Twitter @dispatchscott
Scott was sports editor for The Dispatch.
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