The dream came true for Tyler Beede on June 6, 2011. With the No. 21 pick in the 2011 MLB Draft, the Toronto Blue Jays selected the 6-foot-4 right-hander out of Lawrence Academy in Groton, MA. At 19 years old, he was slotted to sign for $1,332,000. For most teenagers, the decision would be made. Sign the contract. But Tyler still had options to weigh, and big ones.
Beede was signed to play his college ball at baseball powerhouse, Vanderbilt University. If he pitched the way he and others expected, a College World Series was in his future and he could solidify himself as perhaps the top pick in the 2014 draft.