Curtis’ Russell had ‘heart set’ on playing for WSU, even before 2020 MLB Draft
Curtis High School senior Kyle Russell didn’t hear his name called in last week’s shortened Major League Baseball draft.
But the 6-foot-2 shortstop, who is considered by many to be the top prep baseball player in the state this year, considered it more than likely he’d be headed to Washington State, where he has accepted a scholarship to play for the Cougars.
“I wasn’t disappointed (to not be drafted),” Russell said. “I kind of expected it. I told most scouts I wanted to go to WSU. I put a high number up there. If the number got picked, it was worth going. I kind of had my heart set going to WSU in the first place.”
Russell said he and his family had discussed a certain spot in the draft or price that would sway him into forgoing his college eligibility and going the professional route. It didn’t come to fruition.
“We talked about what the right money would be to not go to WSU,” Russell said. “But WSU is a good opportunity for me to get better and make my draft stock go even higher.”
If all goes well, Russell hopes to follow a path similar to someone like Jesse Franklin, in terms of upward trajectory benefiting from a collegiate career. The former Seattle Prep outfielder was considered the top high school prospect in Washington in 2017. The hometown Seattle Mariners drafted Franklin in the 37th round in 2017, but he opted to head to Michigan, where he continued to build his draft profile. He was selected in the third round of this year’s MLB Draft with the 97th pick by the Atlanta Braves.
Russell, who was named to The News Tribune’s 2019 All-Area baseball team, hit .450 with a 1.290 OPS in his junior season for the Vikings, with six home runs and 30 RBI. He didn’t have a chance to play in his senior season, with the spring sports season eliminated due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Curtis had a strong team on paper and was poised to make a playoff run this spring.
“It sucks,” Russell said. “Not so much for me. I hate it, but I feel bad for my teammates. For most of them, this was their last chance, their last season. I feel bad for those guys. We were supposed to be pretty good this year.”
Curtis baseball coach Bryan Robinson said WSU is getting a special athlete and baseball player.
“He’s a tremendous player,” Robinson said. “Somebody that looks to get better every single day in any aspect of baseball. Loves playing the game, loves competing. He’s very humble, very respectful, incredibly coachable. Those are great attributes to have. You match that with talent, he’s going to absolutely explode at WSU.”
Robinson said defensively, Russell’s first step to the baseball sets him apart.
“A slow roller, he makes it look relatively easy, the way he attacks it with his first step,” Robinson said. “He’s so quick that it just minimizes any defensive issues. He’s very quick, explosive, makes the difficult plays look easy and the routine plays as routine as can be.”
Robinson has watched over the years as Russell has seen his stock rise as a high school baseball player, along with the attention and notoriety that accompany the accolades. But through all of that, Russell hasn’t changed much.
“He doesn’t boast about himself on social media,” Robinson said. “That’s just the type of young man he is. I think that’s a huge compliment to him. He’s worked his tail off. When he started getting that notoriety of being a top prospect in the state, he never talked about it and he never took a day off. I think that’ll translate really well.”
At WSU, he’ll have the chance to play alongside his older brother, Cody, who is joining the program as a preferred walk-on after spending the past two seasons playing for Pierce College. Cody plays second base.
Russell plays his summer ball for New Level Xtreme, based in Puyallup. While a lot of summer tournaments have been canceled due to the ongoing coronavirus situation, Russell said the team will play in a few local tournaments.
In college, he hopes to take his game to the next level and turn himself into a top-flight draft prospect in a few years.
“The biggest thing for me is hitting,” he said. “If I can dial it down, that’s what’s going to rise my draft stock. … Just in general, WSU wants to make me a better player all around and get me to the next level.”
This story was originally published June 16, 2020 at 5:20 AM.
