Kentucky QB commit Matt Ponatoski breaks down MLB Draft decision originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Matt Ponatoski is one of the best high school athletes in the country.
He's a high-level QB capable of heading to the University of Kentucky and being a quarterback for the Wildcats. He also is in line to be a high-end MLB Draft pick in July.
That creates a decision, because he can't do both, at least right now.
If Ponatoski wants to sign with the MLB team that drafts him, he won't be able to go to Kentucky.
If he wants to play for the Wildcats, he'll have to pass on his MLB draft pick.
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Ponatoski could then play baseball at UK and conceptually be drafted again in three years, but that's a long way away.
Right now, he's finishing out his senior season at powerhouse Archbishop Moeller in the Cincinnati area.
He spoke with Spectrum News about what will go into his eventual choice.
“I’m going to be fully prepared to go to school and go be at Kentucky and enroll and go compete for a quarterback battle when I get there," Ponatoski said. "But at the same time, like going and putting my best foot forward to these MLB teams and showing them like I have what it takes for you to draft me.”
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Essentially, Ponatoski isn't giving anything away. And he probably genuinely doesn't know which path he'll end up taking.
“It’s one A and one B,” Ponatoski said. “I’m going to go have a great career at Kentucky, or I’m going to go be a professional baseball player. It’s like you can’t draw it up much better.”
It's a good problem to have for Ponatoski. For Kentucky, though, it's got to be at least a bit stressful waiting to see if their QB recruit ever shows up on campus.
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