Growing up as a youth baseball player in Guyton, Carter Holton was naturally a big fan of his home state team — the Atlanta Braves.
As a freshman at Benedictine, it became immediately evident that Holton was a special player. Blessed with natural talent, he also had the work ethic and passion for the game that kept him climbing up the baseball ladder. He committed to Vanderbilt before his sophomore season started and went on to star on the mound for the Commodores over the last three seasons.
On Sunday, in his second go-around in the MLB Draft, Holton's childhood aspirations came to fruition as the Braves picked the left hander in the second round with the 62 pick of the 2024 MLB Draft.
Holton was at home in Nashville with his family, girlfriend and friends when he got the news.
"I didn't know the Braves were picking me until I got the call about 30 seconds before they announced it on TV," said Holton, 21, who signed with the organization for $1.35 million on Wednesday. "I was really just shocked and speechless. My parents and everyone were jumping around and screaming. We couldn't believe it, it was awesome."
Holton was known for swinging a lethal bat in addition to being an ace on the mound in his prep days with the Cadets. He hit .434 with 27 career homers and 127 RBIs in his high school career, while setting a Georgia high school state record with a career ERA of 0.59, with a record of 31-4 over four seasons.
He said as a youngster his favorite Brave was Chipper Jones, the Hall of Fame third baseman.
"I always loved Chipper Jones, and in the last few years I've been watching their pitchers Max Fried, Spencer Strider and Chris Sale this year," said Holton, who is also a big fan of Dodger lefty Clayton Kershaw.
Holton had an 18-10 career record and an ERA of 4.09 in his career at Vanderbilt. He threw 69 1/3 innings this year, and said he didn't yet know if he would be on the mound this summer in the minors for the Braves, who likely may want to protect his arm.
The Braves have their minor league affiliates in Augusta (Low A), Rome (High A), Pearl, Mississippi (AA) and Gwinnett (AAA).
"I'm not sure about the logistics about everything yet," Holton said. "I could pitch, but it all comes down to what their plans are."
Former Benedictine Coach Kevin Farmer said he gets to bed early, so didn't hear about Holton being drafted near 11 p.m. Sunday until the next morning.
"I had so many text threads when I woke up and was so happy that Carter went to the Braves," Farmer said. "I had sent him a message a couple days before wishing him the best, so I was so excited for him. He's a great young man who has been so persistent in pursuing his goals.
"And now his family, friends and fans will get the opportunity to see him pitch in the minors here in Georgia, and I know his dream is to make his debut one day at Truist Park in Atlanta."
Carter's father, Carl Holton, remembers taking his son to his first Big League game in Atlanta when he was about 8-years old. He said it was an unbelievable moment when the Braves selected his son.
"I'm still getting choked up a few days after just thinking about it," Carl Holton said. "Carter has worked so hard for this his whole life, and now everything he dreamed about is coming true. It was pretty loud in the room there for about 10 minutes after he got picked. It was just awesome, words can't describe it."
For Carter, getting picked was a moment he will always cherish, but now his focus is on taking the next step.
"I don't have a timetable, everything will happen and we'll let things take their course," Carter Holton said. "I'm excited about getting back to work with the Braves. A dream come true is the best way to describe it."
Dennis Knight covers sports for the Savannah Morning News. Contact him at Dknight@savannahnow.com. Twitter: @DennisKnightSMN
This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: 'A dream come true,' former Benedictine star Carter Holton goes to favorite team in Braves
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