Samuels drafted by Atlanta Braves

By Luke Brantley
Staff writer

WINFIELD — Former Winfield Pirates and Montevallo Falcons pitcher Logan Samuels has been drafted by the Atlanta Braves in the eighth round of the 2024 Major League Baseball (MLB) Draft on Monday, July 15.
“It was just a really good feeling,” Samuels said. “I worked for it my entire life since I was a little kid, and it almost felt like it just wasn’t real. I just had a lot of excitement going into that time and the excitement is still carrying on now. It still doesn’t feel real up to this point. It was just a dream come true.”
Samuels started playing baseball when he was young, and his parents said playing in the major leagues is something their son has always dreamed of.
“We couldn't be more proud of Logan,” they told the Journal Record. “As a little boy, he dreamed of playing baseball professionally, and coming from a small town, that almost seems unattainable at times. It’s a dream that certainly comes with a unique set of sacrifices.
“He has spent summers away playing post season ball, living with host families and having only a few days home from college before heading back to Montevallo to prepare for the spring season ahead.
“It's early morning workouts and pitching sessions year-round. There is no such thing as an off season. We have been blessed to watch him achieve this dream and experience the highs and lows of the game, and it has been such a fulfilling ride so far.
“We are so incredibly proud of Logan and the way he has always carried himself on and off the field. He has a good heart, he's humble and he has never failed to give our Lord and Savior all the glory!”
Samuels said his parents were thrilled when they found out he’d been drafted by the Braves and that he owed them a lot for helping him get there.
“Without them, I would not have been able to do this,” he said. “They have always supported me throughout my whole time playing baseball.”
Samuels spoke more about growing up, saying he almost pursued a different sport.
“Growing up, I wanted to be a football player when I was really little, but my mom was scared of me going out there and getting hurt because I was a small kid,” he said. “But I was also a huge baseball fan. I kept up with major leaguers and played the video games back in the day. I grew up doing that. I started playing baseball when I was nine, and I’ve been pitching ever since.”
Samuels said he is excited to continue to pursue his passion, especially for his favorite team.
“It's a game I really love to play. I love all the connections that come with it and just having the chance to go out there and compete. It’s really fun to me, and it was a dream for me to have the chance to play professional baseball.
“There’s a lot of hard work that’s gone into it, and I’ve finally started to see some dreams come true.
“It’s been a huge blessing that the Atlanta Braves took a chance on me. Growing up, that was my favorite team. I got to watch Chipper Jones and all of them play, and it’s really exciting. I’m ready to get going.”
Samuels, who is 22, graduated from Winfield City High School in 2020 after a strong career for the Pirates, even with the pandemic and an injury getting in the way, which was a shoulder impingement his junior year.
“I’m very excited for him. He was an awesome player for us,” said Winfield baseball Coach Alan Smith. “He didn’t get to finish his senior year with us because of COVID, and he missed one year for us when he got hurt in 11th grade, but he had a great career with us.
“I’m very excited for him. He was always a hard worker and a good kid. I knew he would go on to do something special.”
After graduation, Samuels attended the University of Montevallo where he continued his pitching career. He graduated earlier this year with a bachelor’s degree in business management and a minor in sports business.
Samuels said he started to draw increased focus from MLB scouts during his senior year at Montevallo, but most of them were from other teams beside the Braves.
“Going into my senior year of college, I started throwing a little bit harder and started getting more attention from scouts,” he said. “From our very first scrimmage, I had a scout there. I had scouts coming all season and had a good feeling I was going to be selected, but I didn’t know who it was going to be.
“The New York Yankees came to a majority of my games to watch me pitch, and I thought for sure that the Yankees were going to pick me. Coming up to the draft, I didn’t really hear from them, but I did hear from teams that I didn’t talk to much, like the Padres, the Toronto Blue Jays and the Angels.
“The draft is very unpredictable. I was getting calls that morning like, ‘Hey, we’re on you, we’re looking at selecting you,’ and at that point, it’s just a waiting game to see who selects you. Luckily, the Braves fell in my favor, and the cards fell right for that.”
Samuels said that he was starting to grow unsure as the first day of the draft passed by and the second began without hearing his name called.
“I didn’t hear anything, and I thought I wasn’t going to get selected on the second day of the draft in the top ten rounds,” he said. “It got to the fifth or six round and I didn’t hear anything, so I was thinking it might be the next day before I get selected.
“But then the teams I mentioned earlier all started calling at once. I told the Braves that all the other teams were calling, but I would love to be a Brave, and he said, ‘Alright, man, I’m going to get you in this eighth round.’
“When he told me that and I got that guarantee, it was really a relief, and I got kind of emotional trying not to cry, just soaking it in.”
Samuels said he will start off in the minor leagues, and his goal is to…