hiː wʌz ðˈɛn sᵻlˈɛktᵻd baɪ ðə kˈænzəs sˈɪɾi ɹˈɔɪəlz ɪnðɪ ˈeɪtiːnθ ɹˈaʊnd ʌvðə nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd nˈaɪnti nˈaɪn ˌɛmˌɛlbˈiː dɹˈæft, bˌʌt hiː dᵻsˈaɪdᵻd tə tɹænsfˈɜː tə mˌɪsɪsˈɪpi stˈeɪt jˌuːnɪvˈɜːsᵻɾi.
He was then selected by the Kansas City Royals in the 18th round of the 1999 MLB draft, but he decided to transfer to Mississippi State University.