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It seems like every year there are stories that surface from the MLB draft that tug on your heart strings.
Chris Singleton’s story is just that.
Singleton was drafted during Day 3 of the 2017 MLB draft when the Cubs selected him with the final pick of the 19th round. Normally you’d only hear about the 585th overall pick during random conversation about minor league baseball but Singleton’s story is one that is bigger than the game.
Singleton, a center fielder at Charleston Southern University, just finished his junior season in which he started all 51 games for the team, hit .276, had 18 steals, 10 doubles and four home runs. He was also among the nation’s leaders with 10 outfield assists. The stats alone are nothing that are terribly impressive but when you understand what the young man had to overcome to get to where he is today, the stats become irrelevant.
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Singleton lost his mother, Sharonda Coleman-Singleton, during the tragic Charleston church shooting on June 15, 2015. This was the shooting that was done by white supremacist Dylann Roof when he walked into the Emanuel AME Church in Charleston and opened fire killing nine and wounding three.
The church held a vigil two nights after the tragedy and asked Singleton to say a few words about his mother who was a speech pathologist and a pastor. Here’s a 19-year-old young man who just lost his mother in a senseless act, now is faced with caring for his two younger siblings by himself, and this is the message that he stood up and delivered.
The strength it must have took to deliver that is absolutely incredible.
His coach at CSU, Adam Ward, called Singleton “the hardest worker on the team” and his former coach believes that the young outfielder has earned the right to play professional ball. Yes, Singleton overcame a huge personal tragedy but all of his former coaches believe he has the tools to play professional baseball.
“Everyone who gets drafted has earned it, and this kid has earned it, there’s no doubt in my mind.”
I don’t know if Chris Singleton will ever make it to the big leagues but you can bet your money every Cubs fan will be pulling for him once he begins his journey.
