Left-handed pitcher said it was an ‘unreal moment’
They thought there was a chance in the 11th round.
The 11th round came and went.
“After the 11th round, I wasn’t sure I was going to go at all,” Caden Vire said Tuesday morning.
That is part of the unpredictability of Major League Baseball’s draft, especially for an athlete who has already signed a letter of intent to play in the Pac-12 Conference, at Arizona State University.
The Vire family kept watching, though.
And with the 357th overall pick, in the 12th round, the Milwaukee Brewers selected Caden Vire, left-handed pitcher out of Skyview High School in Vancouver.
“We were extremely surprised,” Caden said. “My mom (Robin) did a big gasp. My dad (Corey) was ‘Whoa.’ My mom started crying. She’s super emotional over a great moment.”
Indeed, this was special.
“I just got super excited. It’s something I’ve been working for for quite a while,” Caden Vire said. “For it to actually happen, it was an unreal moment for me.”
Negotiations are next.
“Today is a day to celebrate,” said Nik Lubisich of Northwest Sports Management Group, who is Caden Vire’s agent. “Caden has tremendous options.”
“I’ve heard nothing but great things about the new head coach (at Arizona State),” Caden said, referring to former major leaguer Willie Bloomquist. “The Brewers are a great operation. That would be great, as well.”
Vire is keeping his options open, but he said he absolutely wants to play professional baseball. Whether that will start this summer or after some time in college will be determined soon enough.
“We have until Aug. 1 to figure out where the Brewers are and where we are,” Lubisich said. “Caden is motivated to find an agreement with them, and hopefully we can make this happen.”
Vire was named the Prep Baseball Report’s player of the year for Washington after this past abbreviated spring schedule. The Skyview Storm went 17-0 and won the regional title. There were no state playoffs. Vire, a 6-foot-6 left-hander, went 5-0 for the Storm with an 0.56 ERA. Opponents hit .105 off of Vire.
On June 29, PBR’s scouting report noted that Vire “has blossomed from a high-ceiling project arm into one of the most dominating pitchers in the state and a helium prospect for the upcoming draft.”
Helium, meaning, his draft stock will rise.
Two weeks later, that report became reality.
Vire tweeted out: “Let’s go baby. Never been more excited.”
