There was an interesting phone call placed to the Hart house last week.
“It’s quite a surprise when you get a call and you see it’s the Braves on the phone,” said Charles Hart.
The Braves were calling because they’d selected Charles Hart’s son, Taylor, in the 44th round (1,330th pick).
Hart graduated from Madison County High School in May after helping lead the Raiders to the first round of the state playoffs.
“He’s tickled,” Charles said of his son finding out he’d been drafted by the Braves.
Charles Hart said that the Braves had shown some interest, but no one was expecting Taylor’s name to be called on draft day.
“We didn’t know it at all ... I was very proud of him,” Hart said.
Taylor lost just once this year as a starter for the Raiders while pitching in two no-hitters and firing a one-hitter as a senior.
Taylor has signed to play collegiately with Middle Georgia. According to his father, Hart will weigh his options this summer as he awaits further word from Atlanta.
Hart, who’s currently playing for the Athens Pirates, said the family expects to hear from the Braves later this summer.
Hart said Taylor was actually informed of his selection by his college coach while he was on a road trip pitching with the Athens Pirates.
Hart is the fifth Raider alum to be drafted.
In addition to he and Ben Jeffers, who who was also drafted this year, past Madison County MLB draft picks include Jake Westbrook, who went in the first round to the Colorado Rockies in 1996; Scott Tolbert who was drafted in the ninth round by the Indians in 2000 and again by Toronto in the 41st round in 2003; and Micah Sales who was picked in the 38th round by the Philadelphia Phillies in 2005. Sales currently pitches for Kennesaw State.
