Greensboro: Michael Mader, LHP

[emkayseven]

Discuss.
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panhandle conference pitcher of the year in freshman year

throws 95

[HUGG]

Committed to Florida State

[emkayseven]

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T0sIXsYQY1c[/ame]
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Chipola and former Marianna left-handed pitcher Michael Mader leads the way among area draft prospects. The 2013 Panhandle Conference pitcher of the year won 15 games in two seasons for the Indians. He dipped to honorable mention All-Panhandle Conference as a sophomore, but scouts noted improvement in his pitches, which includes a fastball topping out at 95 mph.

The 6-foot-2, 195-pound Mader is ranked No. 186 on MLB.com’s list of Top 200 prospects. He’s ranked 185th by Baseball America and is projected to be taken on Friday as high as the second round. He was projected as a fifth-round pick after last season, but made it known to scouts he was returning to Chipola and went undrafted.

Mader has signed with Florida State, but has not made a similar declaration of a definite departure to Tallahassee this summer. His preference is to sign a professional contract, but he would consider pitching for the Seminoles should the draft not play out as anticipated.

http://www.newsherald.com/sports/chi...efuls-1.328464
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good video here: http://m.mlb.com/tex/video/v33272913...ollege-pitcher
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Chipola Indians pitcher Michael Mader has made his college choice known, committing to play for the Florida State Seminoles on Monday, picking FSU over the University of Florida and Troy University.
The former Marianna Bulldogs player had a brilliant freshman season for the Indians in 2013, finishing 8-3 with a 3.19 Earned Run Average and winning his last six Panhandle Conference starts to earn the league’s Pitcher of the Year award.

He drew interest from both FSU and Florida and had an offer from Troy as well, but ultimately he picked the program he grew up rooting against.

A life-long Gators fan, Mader said it was a bit strange to envision himself wearing the garnet and gold, but he had to make the best and most logical decision for his career.

“It’s actually very weird,” he said. “After the visit with Florida I felt like I was stuck on Florida and it was more for the fact that I’m a Gator fan. But I knew I can’t choose it because I’m a Gator fan. I had to make sure I was doing the right thing, and I just felt like FSU was meant to be.”

Mader said he was impressed by his communications with Seminoles head coach Mike Martin, as well as pitching coach Mike Bell and assistant coach Mike Martin, Jr., and encouraged by the fact that the team will lose at least three of its top four starters after next season.

“I liked the way it looks like for me to come in next year and as long as I do what I’m supposed to do get the spot I want, which is a weekend starter,” he said. “It looks like they’re starting fresh next year. With UF, they don’t know who their weekend guys are going to be yet, and it’s tough to take a sophomore or a junior out of that spot if they’re set in those spots and they’ve already adapted to that level.”

Although Mader is now committed to FSU, he still has an eye towards professional baseball and with another big season could be drafted very high in the 2014 MLB Amateur Draft.

Mader was projected to go as high as the fourth or fifth round in the 2013 draft before ultimately deciding to pull his name out and go back to school.

He said that if he is drafted in the first round in next year’s draft that he would almost certainly sign a professional contract, and odds could favor Mader signing if he goes in the top three rounds.

But while the prospect of playing professional baseball is still at the forefront of his ambitions, Mader said the chance to play big-time Division-I baseball is also a dream come true for him.

“It’s definitely nice to know that if I don’t get drafted where I want that I’ll get a chance to go to FSU and be in a great position to go to Omaha (site of the College World Series) every year. It’s awesome to know that,” he said. “Every college player’s dream is to play in the College World Series, so it’s a win-win for me.”

Chipola coach Jeff Johnson was in contact with Mader throughout the recruiting process and said that he believes his pitcher made the best of many good choices.

“He had some great options and I told him he needed to weigh the positives and negatives and also look at his situation and do some research on who is losing pitchers and who has younger pitchers, and I think he looked at all of that,” the coach said. “Any time you can be an hour away from home and get to play at a program like FSU it’s a good thing.

“I told him you’re never going to be totally sure when you have great options, so just make a great choice and go with it. He’s going to a great program with great support, great tradition, and great fans. It’s probably one of the top five programs in the country. It’s a great situation and I’m proud of him.”

http://www.jcfloridan.com/sports/art...a4bcf6878.html

[emkayseven]

The most powerful trait of the MLB Draft is optimism. For the teams , they're optimistic their scouting and their studying pans out when it comes to their selections.

For those selections, the players, they're optimistic about the very first moment in their pro careers, making lifelong dreams come true.

Just ask a couple of Chipola Indians.

Pitcher Michael Mader was taken with a supplemental selection in the third round, the Marianna native going 105th overall to the Miami Marlins after a 7-3 sophomore season for Chipola, posting a 3.18 ERA.

His teammate and 2014 Panhandle Conference Player of the Year, Danny Mars, was taken in the sixth round with the 194th pick by the Boston Red Sox. Mars hit .380 this campaign with four homers and 35 RBI's.

"It's definitely been an amazing day and an amazing feeling and a blessing for sure to be even considered in the Draft, much less, 105th overall," says Mader. "I thought to the first time I ever stepped on the mound when I was nine years old. I thought you threw a baseball with five fingers instead of three. And I thought a changeup you're supposed to lob up there. It's amazing to see how far I've really come."

"It's a dream to play in the major leagues and to be selected by a team like the Red Sox, it's unbelievable," says mars It hasn't sunk in yet. You know, everything happens for a reason. And I actually moved down from Maryland my sophomore year of high school to pursue professional baseball and now, today, finally the dream came true."

While both Mader and Mars now can turn pro, they also both had committed to Florida State next season. Michael says he told Seminoles head coach Mike Martin Friday "it's highly likely I do sign and I will not attend FSU." Danny also spoke with Martin Friday, but has told NewsChannel 7 Sports that he won't continue his college career in Tallahassee, but rather start his pro career with the Red Sox organization.

According to the assigned pick values, Mader can receive a signing bonus as high as $499,500 for going pro as the 105th selection, while Mars is set to take a $211,800 signing bonus for putting pen to paper on his MLB deal.

http://www.wjhg.com/sports/headlines/262207651.html

[marlinsfan24]

Marianna, FL---Call it a rather significant moment in the life of Marianna and Chipola alum Michael Mader.

Michael telling me Monday afternoon he's decided to sign with the Miami Marlins organization, which drafted him in the third round of last week's MLB draft.

¶Mader, a 6 foot, 2 inch hard throwing lefty, getting a signing bonus approaching five hundred thousand dollars.

Michael says the Marlins emailed him his contract, which he was hoping to sign Monday night at a little family party at his parents house in Marianna. His adviser though called and told him a few more details needed to worked out.

So now it's likely Mader will sign after he flies to Miami Tuesday. He'll then get a physical in Miami, and likely head up to Jupiter Florida for a couple days of minicamp.

He says after that he expects to be sent to the Marlins short season single-A team in Batavia, New York.

Mader telling me Monday he's "really excited about all this." He's grateful for the opportunity. He says it still hasn't hit him that he's about to play professionalbaseball.

"It probably won't hit me until I set foot in Miami."
Mader told me.

Michael's Chipola teammate Danny Mars, taken by the Red Sox Friday, also signing a pro contract. Both were FSU signees, so all this bad news for Mike Martin and the Seminoles.

http://www.wjhg.com/sports/headlines...262442631.html

[HUGG]

Marianna, FL---Call it a rather significant moment in the life of Marianna and Chipola alum Michael Mader.

Michael telling me Monday afternoon he's decided to sign with the Miami Marlins organization, which drafted him in the third round of last week's MLB draft.

¶Mader, a 6 foot, 2 inch hard throwing lefty, getting a signing bonus approaching five hundred thousand dollars.

Michael says the Marlins emailed him his contract, which he was hoping to sign Monday night at a little family party at his parents house in Marianna. His adviser though called and told him a few more details needed to worked out.

So now it's likely Mader will sign after he flies to Miami Tuesday. He'll then get a physical in Miami, and likely head up to Jupiter Florida for a couple days of minicamp.

http://www.wjhg.com/sports/headlines...G4gkbE.twitter
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well played, mf24

[emkayseven]

signed

On Friday, former Marianna High School standout pitcher Michael Mader became a Miami Marlin, taken in the 3rd round with the 105th pick of the Major League Draft. Michael is now gearing up for Minor League ball with the Batavia Muckdogs, and on Monday, News 13 caught up with him before he flew out to chase his big league dreams.

Michael spent the last two seasons at Chipola, earning Panhandle Conference Pitcher of the Year honors as a freshman. He signed with Florida State in the fall, and says giving up the opportunity to become a Nole was a tough decision to make, but he was excited to become a Marlin.

Michael said the Mariners were set to take him with the 80th pick in the 3rd Round, but he had to tell them no after they tried to take him for less then his slot worth, but he said Monday it's all worked out, as he's happy to be a Marlin and be involved with the same organization as another former Marianna standout- Jeff Mathis.

"He actually text me yesterday and asked me if I was excited, if I was going to mini camp and all that," said Michael of Jeff. "He told me he found out right before the game started. It was pretty cool of him to text me and ask me if I was excited and stuff, and he told me it's not a sprint, it's a marathon."

"I am just proud it worked out for him and being there with Jeff," said Chipola head coach Jeff Johnson. "Jeff with the Marlins, a guy from Marianna who he can lean on and talk with and all of that will be something in spring training. Hopefully one of these days they will be together somewhere else in the big leagues. But it's just somebody to be down there when he goes to his first spring training and all, that'll be big for him."

http://www.wmbb.com/story/25733581/f...e-with-marlins

[HUGG]

MLBPipeline.com #14 Prospect

Scouting grades: Fastball: 55 | Curveball: 55 | Changeup: 45 | Control: 45 | Overall: 45

Mader was named the Panhandle Conference Pitcher of the Year as a freshman at Chipola College. Though he didn't win the honor again as a sophomore, scouts said his stuff improved, and the Marlins saw enough to grab him with the 105th overall pick in the 2014 Draft.

Mader added some velocity to his fastball in 2014 and it now tops out at 95 mph. More typically the pitch sits in the low 90s with tailing action. His breaking ball has the most potential of his secondary offerings. At its best, it looks like a biting curveball, though it can get slurvy. There is some effort in his delivery, and he has struggled with his control at times.

Mader pitched well in his professional debut, making the All-Star team in the New York-Penn League. He'll look to build on that performance as he advances to full-season ball.

http://m.mlb.com/prospects/2015?list=mia

John Sickels #10 Prospect

10) Michael Mader, LHP, Grade C+: Age 21, second round pick out of Chipola Junior College, posted 2.00 ERA with 28/16 K/BB in 45 innings in New York-Penn League. Another low-90s arm, sometimes faster, good curveball, other pitches need work, a fact reflected in low strikeout rate to this point. That said, he may have more broad-based potential than any pitcher in the system not named Kolek.

http://www.minorleagueball.com/2015/...pects-for-2015

[Miamarlin21]

Just saw that his twitter handle is DarthMader. Impressive. Most impressive.