Former Geraldine and Jax State baseball standout Jake Peppers lives out dream in MLB draft
The weekend of July 7-10 was a good one for Jake Peppers, starting with his engagement on Friday.
Come Monday, the former Geraldine and Jacksonville State baseball star was getting the call that every baseball player dreams of: a call from a MLB team relaying that he was drafted. Peppers went in the ninth round to the Chicago White Sox, signed his contract and reported to Kannapolis, North Carolina for the first stages of professional ball. From there he will go to Arizona for the complex league before entering the minor leagues, most likely in low-A ball.
Peppers graduated from Geraldine in 2020 after leading the the squad to three consecutive area championships. While at Jacksonville State, Peppers made 55 appearances, maintaining a 4.95 ERA. He also struck out 148 batters while walking 81.
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During the draft, Peppers had a get together with friends and family. He got the call Monday from the White Sox, leading to a moment he has been waiting for all his life. Now that the professional baseball dream has come true, a new dream has taken its place.
"For me that was super exciting, it was a dream come true," Peppers told the Gadsden Times. “My whole life I always wanted to be a professional baseball player and now I get that chance. I wake up everyday living out my dream and my whole life I wanted to be a professional baseball player but now my sights have changed and its all about making it to the big leagues.”
Being drafted by the White Sox means he will have the opportunity to play for the Birmingham Barons, the Double-A affiliate for Chicago. It will give him the chance to not only play locally, but also on the road with many Barons opponents residing in the southeast.
"It will be exciting as I progress towards the big leagues to be able to stop in Birmingham and be a part of that ... my family will be close and get to come see more of the games. That'll be a super exciting time," Peppers said.
The realization was not only be special for Peppers, who could end up playing close by in Birmingham in his journey to The Show, but it may also help provide a small spotlight to current Geraldine players. Peppers is one of, if not the only, Geraldine player to be selected in the MLB Draft.
With Peppers potentially playing nearby, it will show the current players how far they will be able to dream.
"Just dream big, set a goal, set a standard. Jake's done that now, Jake had a really good career at Jacksonville State and now being drafted. The sky's the limit for anybody who comes through our program," Geraldine baseball coach Jamie Gilbert said.
This article originally appeared on The Gadsden Times: Geraldine and Jax State baseball's Jake Peppers drafted by Chicago White Sox
