Staff report
KANNAPOLIS — CJ Gray, is an 18-year-old millionaire.
Gray who was preparing to quarterback A.L. Brown’s football team at this time last year, got a huge deal from the L.A. Angels and will pass on a college scholarship to NC State to get his pro career started.
Gray is a 6-foot-2, 205-pound, right-handed pitcher. He was a power-hitting two-way player for the Wonders, but scouts see Gray’s future on the mound, as he has thrown as hard as 98 mph and has a good slider. He was rated as one of the most athletic pitchers in the draft and one of the hardest throwers.
Gray was projected to be picked in the early rounds. He was selected in the fifth round by the Angels and was the 140th player chosen.
The recommended slot value for the 140th pick is $519,ooo, but Gray was in a strong position as a solid student who already was enrolled in summer school at N.C. State. He got $1,247,500 from the Angels, a life-changing offer.
The Angels were in position to pay Gray well above his slot value because they made some serious savings at the top of the draft. The Angels picked Tyler Brenmer, a standout college pitcher from UC Santa Barbara, with the No. 2 overall pick. That was a lot higher than most expected Brenmer to go.
Slot value for the No. 2 pick is $10,252,700, but the Angels were able to agree to a deal with Brenmer for $7,689,525, so they had an extra $2.5 million or so available. They used most of that loot to land Gray and their No. 3 pick, Johnny Slawinski, a highly regarded high-school lefty who has signed with Texas A&M.
All of the Angels’ early picks were pitchers.
As far as North Carolina high school players, Gray was the third one picked.
Gray’s parents have close ties to Salisbury, as his father, Charles, played football for Livingstone College, while his mother, Donitta Gillespie Gray, is a Salisbury High graduate.
