Staff report
East Rowan’s Joseph Peeler announced that he signed with the Seattle Mariners late Thursday night.
He said he’ll be flying to Seattle’s training complex in Arizona on Sunday to get his pro career started.
Peeler, the 755th overall pick on Round 25, had signed a scholarship with UNC Wilmington, but the tall right-hander wants to get his pro career started. It’s been his dream for years.
Peeler is the first East Rowan player to be drafted out of the high school ranks since Cal Hayes Jr. was taken in the third round by the St. Louis Cardinals in 2002.
East Rowan alum Bobby Parnell was a ninth-round pick out of Charleston Southern in 2005 and reached the majors with the New York Mets.
East Rowan alum Spencer Steedley was a 25th-round pick out of Charlotte by the Minnesota Twins in 2007 and reached the Double A level.
East Rowan alum Craige Lyerly was a 19th-round pick out of Catawba by the Tampa Bay Rays in 2010.
Peeler joins the same organization as Mariners all-star third baseman Kyle Seager, who played for Northwest Cabarrus, about 23 miles away from East Rowan.