The professional baseball career of Bubba Starling is set to being tomorrow night as his Burlington Royals play the Pulaski Mariners on the road. Starling was the number one selection of the Royals in the 2011 MLB draft. There are high expectations by many for the player many see as an uber talented five tool player.
Yet there is another member of the Burlington outfield that makes his professional debut after being taken by the Royals in the 2012 MLB draft just days ago. Fred Ford of Jefferson College in Missouri was taken by the Royals in the seventh round. He helped lead his team to the JUCO college world series tournament as he hit .432/.522/.746 with 13 HR, 68 RBI, 64 R and 32 SB in 56 games.
Both players grew up in the Royals backyard with Starling in Gardner, KS and Ford in St Peters, MO, although the Cardinals were close to Ford also. Both players have a similar athletic build with Starling at six-four, 180 and Ford at six-five, 200. They are nearly the same age with Ford being just under four months older.
I am going to follow both players this season with each being the measuring stick for the other. Hopefully both push each other to be better and they get to advance through the organization together. The first step in that journey is only a day away.
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