Red Sox draft pitcher with Rockdale ties

MISSOULA, MT—It’s not the usual path to the major leagues, not play baseball for four years and put in a college football career.

But that opportunity has now presented itself to Caleb Hill, who was a seventh-round pick of the Boston Red Sox last week.

Hill has tons of Rockdale connections. His mother, Jennifer Davis and grandmother Debbie Cates are both RHS graduates.

He is the great-grandson of Mardell Cates and the late Ernie Cates Sr., both longtime Rockdale-area residents.

Hill has many Cates family relatives in Rockdale.

He went to high school in Brenham, had 11 Division I offers but passed up partial baseball scholarships for a full football scholarship to Blinn College. He then went on to the University of Montana, where he played quarterback and tight end.

LEFTY—It didn’t look likely Hill was going to go any further in football but his prospects, and his sport, changed on Nov. 1o when a Montana area Red Sox scout attended the Grizzlies Nov. 10 game with Idaho just to meet him.

The scout liked Hill and his 6-3, 245-pound frame. Hill is a left-handed pitcher and those are always in demand at all levels of baseball.

So, during winter break, Hill went home to Texas to start “re-booting” his body from football to baseball.

He said the main task was to get his shoulder loose, regaining the flexibility needed to pitch. And, of course he started throwing again.

Back in Montana, once the snow melted, he got with two catchers who worked with Hill on throwing off a mound again. His pitches include 2-seam and 4-seam fastballs, change and fastball.

DRAFT DAY—He was back home in Texas watching television with his brother and sister, and live-streaming the radio call of the draft.

They would mute the TV to listen for the Red Sox draft.

The call came in the 36th round. “When they said ‘Caleb Hill, University of Montana,’ me and my little brother and sister were beyond excited,” he said.

Now it’s contract negotiation, then on to training camp in Florida and a minor league assignment.

“I’m extremely happy and extremely thankful to God for opening this door up,” he said.