Reynaldo Rivera's passion for baseball began in the most humble surroundings, at age 4 in the streets of Puerto Rico.
His dad would spray-paint bases, and set up four cones for agility drills.
"And my neighbors hated it!" Rivera said, laughing, over the phone Tuesday afternoon in an interview with The Detroit News.
Fifteen years later, he's about to become a millionaire, having been selected by the Tigers in the second round, No. 57 overall, during Monday's opening day of the Major League Baseball draft.
The slot value for the pick is $1,148,400.