Phillies sign 1st-round draft pick pitcher Gage Wood out of Arkansas

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — It’s been an eye-opening experience for Gage Wood, the Philadelphia Phillies’ first-round draft pick.

The right-handed pitcher from the University of Arkansas officially signed a minor league contract with a $3 million signing bonus and will report this week to the Phillies’ training complex in Clearwater, Florida.

The 26th overall pick has already had a taste of what his Philly future could be.

“It’s awesome. I got to come up here to Philly for the first time, I worked my whole life for this,” the 21-year-old Wood said. “It’s a blessing and I can’t wait to get going.”

Wood had spent a few days in the city, seeing an explosive fan reaction when Kyle Schwarber hit a grand slam that proved to be a winning blow over the Angels on Saturday night, and having his family with him in Citizens Bank Park to see the Phillies beat the Red Sox on Monday night on a catcher’s interference call.

“The stadium’s awesome, the fans are awesome and the environment is incredible,” Wood said. “It was really surreal.”

When he hasn’t been at the ballpark, Wood added, “I’ve been working out at the hotel, and we’ve been playing catch in the strip of grass right across the road.”

It doesn’t get any more thrilling than that.

When it comes to his status, however, Wood isn’t one for hyperbole. The kid who threw a 19-strikeout no-hitter in the College World Series was asked if he thought that set him apart from other first-round draftees.

College and the professional level are two different stages, so I don’t want to get ahead of anything,” Wood said.

For now, his focus is on Florida, where he should find out when and where his professional career will begin.

“I’m going to work as hard as I can to perform the best that I can,” Wood said. “But I’ll let the people in the front office make that decision.”

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