Texas Rangers photo

He was drafted as the overall #4 pick by the Texas Rangers for a mind-blowing signing bonus of $8 million dollars! No wonder he's got that huge smile on his face!

Texas Rangers photo

photo credit Maria Langford

It's a dream Wyatt and his beautiful fiance Hallie have shared for years, and now it's all coming true.

photo credit Maria Langford

Soon after the draft announcement, Wyatt and his family (from left Aunt Liz, my sister/Wyatt's mom Maria, Hallie, Wyatt, Wyatt's sister Seanna, and Wyatt's dad Michael) were whisked off to Arlington, Texas by the Texas Rangers organization and given the VIP treatment.

Texas Rangers photo

Wyatt was introduced to the Texas Rangers fans by throwing out the ceremonial first pitch.

After a whirlwind few days that felt surreal, Wyatt's family returned to Florida while the Rangers put Wyatt on a plane to the rookie training camp in Arizona. He stayed there a couple of weeks, playing in just 3 games before getting the call to go to the Rangers High-A affiliate club, the Hickory Crawdads in Hickory, North Carolina.

I'd never have thunk it, but Kim and I were already feeling "baseball withdrawal."Right away, we looked at the Crawdads' schedule, ordered our Crawdad gear, and made plans to watch Wyatt play at LP Frans Stadium in Hickory.

My aunt Jane and uncle Larry live just an hour away, so we invited them to join us for 3 games at Wyatt's new home field in late August.

There's just something so fun and dorky about minor league baseball. It's so laid back and such a casual fun atmosphere.

And how could you not LOVE the Crawdad as the mascot?!

Their names, by the way, are Candy and Conrad Crawdad.

Even the bathrooms are fun!

Our favorite Crawdad outfielder...

And yes, it was 96 degrees at game time! Whew...HOT ONE!!!

Perks!!! Wyatt got us great complimentary tickets...and free parking once they knew we were Wyatt's family!

Wyatt's bat was hot too! He batted .500 during the 3 games we watched.

Wyatt on deck with Jane and Larry in the background...(I moved around the ballpark to get photos)

A little photo and autograph session after the game.

We picked Wyatt up at his shared apartment the next morning and the 5 of us went out for lunch together. We were the first family to go watch him play and I think he was pretty happy to see some familiar faces. After lunch we took him to pick up a rental car, which will give him a lot more freedom without relying on others for transportation. 

The next night was Llama night (yes, as in the animal!) in celebration of the Latino heritage. Llamas, according to our Google research (which we know is very reliable...ha ha!), were chosen because they are strong and hard-working animals. 

Those uniforms had us shaking our heads...I can only imagine the comments in the locker room. Wyatt said he just puts on what is laid out for him....

SAFE at home!

After meeting Wyatt for lunch again (we loved our time visiting with him!), it was game 3 at the ballpark.

Larry has been rehabbing after breaking his ankle a few months ago. All those steps were a challenge, but he was a trooper and really enjoyed himself.

Fear the CLAW!!!

Despite Wyatt's hot bat, the pitching just wasn't on that third game...

...and even Kim's rally cap (I still can't believe he's doing that!) didn't help the Crawdad cause.

But Wyatt was still all smiles after the game...especially when I told him I was sending this photo to Hallie.

As it turns out, this is the last photo I will take of him in a Crawdads jersey. After last night's game, his 24th with the 'Dads, Wyatt got the call to move up.

So today Wyatt is moving again, this time up to the Texas Rangers AA affiliate team, the Frisco Rough Riders located near Dallas, Texas. And tonight he'll be in his new team uniform for the first time.

In the 7 weeks since the MLB draft announcement, he has lived in Arizona, a hotel in Hickory, an apartment in Hickory, and now wherever he lands in Frisco, Texas. That's a lot of transitions in a short amount of time, but Wyatt is taking it all in stride as he climbs the baseball ladder to the bigs.

He's learned a lot of things in that short time. Not the least of which is, at least for the rest of this baseball season,...

...don't bother unpacking.