Ken felt his body relax subconsciously. He had been so worried that the Pittsburgh Raiders would select him, despite everything that Barry had told him. Now that it was confirmed, he would have to hope that he would fall to Detroit.
"Peter Skenes is a great pick out of Louisiana State, I think the Raiders have a bright future ahead as long as he can continue to develop."
"You are right, though I'm a little confused since I don't believe he is the best pitcher in the draft. If I was the Raiders, I would have picked Ken without a doubt." The TV commenter said.
"This is why we're on the broadcast team and not in the front office Jason. Perhaps there were some things about Peter that the organization liked more, we will never know. There are 4 minutes remaining for the Washington Natives to make their decision, could we see our projected number 1 picked up next?"
"I doubt it," Jason said, "The Natives already have a great and young pitching roster. I daresay they'd be looking for someone in the outfield to pair alongside their previous draft pick Santiago Williams who should be joining the main squad in the latter half of this season."
Ken's attention was locked onto the TV, listening to them discuss the next pick in the draft. Highlights of a few the potential outfielders played and the commentators seemed convinced that Ken was not going to be picked next.
This gave him a little relief, but nothing was certain until the decision was made.
As the clock ticked down, Ken felt a hand squeeze his own. He turned to see Ai smiling at him reassuringly. "It will all work out, don't stress so much." She said.
Ken nodded, but it was easier said than done. Ever since finding out that his grandfather would be the coach of the Detroit Ligers, he wanted nothing more than to join the team alongside him.
It might be a little selfish, but what was wrong with that? The man was his family. His phone began to buzz violently, causing his heart to leap into his throat.
He had heard from Barry and his grandfather that a team would call prior to the pick being televised, letting the player know they would be drafting them. In that moment, he truly felt sadness, but he needed to be professional about it.
Ken let out a deep breath and composed himself, answering the phone.
"Hello, this is Ken speaking." He said, much calmer than he had expected.
"Hey Ken! Long time no speak, what are you up to man?"
Hearing the familiar voice speaking to him in Japanese, Ken frowned and looked at his phone. His earlier stoicism fractured, replaced by anger.
"SHIRO YOU BASTARD! I'm waiting for an important call, don't call me back!" Ken screamed at the phone in Japanese before promptly hanging up.
Ai beside him began to giggle, doing her best to hide it. Ken looked up and saw her, but instead of getting annoyed, he felt much better.
"And it looks like the pick from the Washington Natives are in."
Ken's head snapped to the TV, feeling a bit of tension. Since he hadn't heard from the Natives, he shouldn't be getting drafted by them, or at least he hoped.
"With the second pick of the 2022 MLB draft, the Washington Natives select… David Crews, an outfielder from LSU."
"And there you have it, David Crews is taken directly after his teammate Peter Skenes. I really like this pick, the man is dynamic and quick on his feet. He has plenty of speed and great awareness."
'Oh thank goodness…' Ken felt relief. Perhaps he was one of the only draftees who didn't wish to be taken earlier in the draft, but he didn't care.
However, now that the first two picks had passed, the nerves really began to sit in. His eyes moved to the timer in the bottom left corner of the TV which tracked how long the Detroit Ligers had to make their decision on who to take.
Barry had received no confirmation from Detroit about their intention to draft him, so all Ken had to go off was what his grandfather had told him.
"I'm calling it, Detroit will be the one drafting Kenny." Chris announced, causing the entire room to turn towards him. The camera crew turned their attention to him, capturing the moment.
Ken felt warm inside. He sent his father a small smile in response.
BUZZ BUZZ
Ken's phone started to vibrate like crazy in his hands, causing him to flinch. He looked down and noticed that it was not a number he recognized, but at least it was not a Japanese number.
He swallowed hard, not wanting to get his hopes up. "Hello, this is Ken speaking."
Everybody in the room including the cameras looked at Ken with anticipation.
"Ken, it's Geoff Greenberg from the Detroit Ligers." A voice spoke from the other end.
Instantly, Ken felt his excitement peak. "H—Hello Mr. Greenberg."
"I wanted to be the first to congratulate you. We're going to draft you at pick #3, you're about to become a Liger." He replied.
A sense of relief and accomplishment ran through Ken's body. He instantly felt a lump in his throat. "Thank you sir… Thank you so much." He replied.
Before he knew it, the relief brought tears to his eyes. This was something that he had worked his whole life towards. Years of hard work and dedication were finally paying off in this moment.
"Well the city of Detroit is excited to have you. Celebrate with your family and we'll see you in a couple of days." Geoff said.
"Thank you again sir. I can't wait."
Once he hung up the phone, the entire room was waiting for an answer.
"I'm going to be a Liger." Ken announced.
"That's my boy!" Chris slapped him on the shoulder, his face filled with pride. He was only the first, everyone came around Ken and congratulated him and cheers soon filled the room.