ðə tˈæmpə bˈeɪ dˈɛvəl ɹˈeɪz sᵻlˈɛktᵻd hˌɪm ɪnðə θˈɜːɾi sˈɛvənθ ɹˈaʊnd ʌvðə nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd nˈaɪnti ˈeɪt mˈeɪdʒɚ lˈiːɡ bˈeɪsbɔːl ˌɛmˌɛlbˈiː dɹˈæft, bˌʌt hiː tʃˈoʊz tʊ ɐtˈɛnd tˈʌskɐlˌuːsəz ʃˈɛltən stˈeɪt kəmjˈuːnᵻɾi kˈɑːlɪdʒ.
The Tampa Bay Devil Rays selected him in the 37th round of the 1998 Major League Baseball (MLB) draft, but he chose to attend Tuscaloosa's Shelton State Community College.