April 6, 2018 at 1:53 p.m.
ST. KATERI'S, SCHENECTADY
Local teen drafted by Tampa Bay Rays
Christopher Crawford of Baseball Prospectus called Garret potentially "my favorite pick of the draft," with "plus-plus speed," "above-average to plus" hitting and "power tools."
"Playing professional baseball has always been my dream," said Garret, who attended two professional showcases last summer where potential draft picks can demonstrate their skills. That was the first time he'd met professional baseball scouts.
Although Garret has been playing organized baseball since the age of five, he told The Evangelist that he got his start just like a lot of other kids: "I was playing in the backyard with my dad as young as two."
"As a young guy, he loved baseball. He always had the desire to play the game," confirmed John Furey, Garret's varsity baseball coach at Niskayuna High School. Mr. Furey first met Garret when he attended the coach's baseball camps as a boy.
Mr. Furey, who has coached baseball for about 30 years, said that he has "coached a lot of good baseball players," but what makes Garret special, along with his skill, is the fact that he's "loyal, conscientious and hardworking. He's always doing something to help his teammates."
Mr. Furey realized Garret's potential early on, bringing him up to the varsity program when Garret was in only ninth grade, which he called "pretty unusual." The coach realized the young player was hitting harder and running faster than he had ever seen.
"We thought the next level was going to be Division-I baseball," said Mr. Furey about Garret -- now 6'1" tall and 195 pounds -- being recruited by Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, N.C., an NCAA Division-I institution. "We became more and more impressed."
Garret had initially committed to Wake Forest, planning to go to Winston-Salem on an athletic scholarship. Prior to the MLB draft, he wasn't too worried, since "I knew that if the draft didn't go the way I wanted, I had a really great backup plan."
"There's no question about his integrity or the way he plays the game," Mr. Furey told The Evangelist.
Garret has also been an active member of his parish community. For one thing, he and his father, Eric, volunteered as coaches for a trial basketball team at the parish -- something Garret, whose younger brother was also on the team, called "a good opportunity for the kids of the church to play a sport that they loved and have fun."
Garret himself is about to do that: He just moved to Florida to sign his contract with the Rays. From there, he'll move on to Port Charlotte to start spring training with the team at Charlotte Sports Park.
Baseball America's Ben Badler called Garret's skill set "a good recipe" for success.[[In-content Ad]]
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