The Texas Rangers brought first round draft picks Kevin Matthews and Zach Cone to Turner Field in Atlanta to meet the players prior to their game against the Braves.
Another player who joined Matthews and Cone was 33rd round pick, Johnathan Taylor, who was paralyzed from the waist down after a collision with Cone, his teammate at Georgia.
Taylor was able to meet some of the Ranger players on Saturday and according to Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star Telegram, received the lions' share of attention from the media who were there.
He made the announcement that he would not be signing with the Rangers but instead would be staying in school to finish his degree and continue his rehab. Georgia baseball coach Dave Perno told Wilson the team hopes Taylor can be with the team next season and travel with them as a student manager.
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| Picture courtesy: Associated Press |
"I don't know if there are very many people who could handle it the way he has," Perno said over the weekend. "One way or the other he'll be in the dugout whenever he wants. You just want him around your team."
The Rangers, on the other hand, have every intention of supporting Taylor and even went so far as to say they hope he can have a position with the club when he is ready to talk to them about it.
A.J. Preller, Senior Director of Player Personnel for the Texas Rangers, said of Taylor, "going forward we'll be there to support him in any way possible. His goal is to get better every day, and that's the goal that we talk about to our players. That's where it's a very good fit."
It's an incredible gesture by the Rangers to not only draft him but to let him know he has a spot with the team when he is ready to move to that part of his life.
"Right now my goal is to get better in rehab, focus on trying to get my legs back up under me again. Start walking, running, and get back up on that field again," Taylor told WSB-TV in Atlanta.
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