 DeGrom was not selected in the Major League Baseball ( MLB ) Draft out of high school . He enrolled at Stetson University and joined their baseball team where he played exclusively as a shortstop during his freshman and sophomore seasons . Though he was considered a good <unk> with a strong throwing arm , deGrom was a light hitter , with a career <unk> batting average . He made his first appearance as a pitcher in May 2009 . In the summer of 2009 , between his sophomore and junior years , deGrom received an invitation to play collegiate summer baseball for the <unk> Suns of the Florida Collegiate Summer League , which he declined after discovering that they wanted him to play as a pitcher . 
