Thirteen months after receiving his diploma from Enumclaw High School, Dylan Watts heard his named called during the Major League Baseball draft.

The former Hornet standout – he captured league Most Valuable Player honors following his senior season – clearly is on an upward trajectory.

But it is yet to be determined what the immediate future holds. As an 18th round selection of the Milwaukee Brewers, Watts – who turned 19 last week – has the option of signing a minor league contract with the club; as the 542nd player taken in the draft, however, the money wouldn’t be huge.

A second option is to pack his bags and head to Alabama, following up on his commitment to play for the Auburn University Tigers.

After receiving MVP honors in a vote of South Puget Sound League 2A coaches at the conclusion of the spring 2022 season, Watts stuck close to home and attended Tacoma Community College.

He continued picking up honors as a relief pitcher for the Titans, making the first team, all-league squad in a vote of Northwest Athletic Conference coaches.

Watts’ numbers from the spring season show why coaches thought so highly of the right-handed hurler. During 38.1 innings of work for the Titans, he allowed just one earned run. Further, his strikeout-to-walk ration was outstanding as he fanned 42 hitters while allowing just seven bases on balls.

And then there’s the velocity. Watts’ coach at EHS, Eric Fiedler, reported that his former star has hit 99 miles per hour with his fastball. Being on the doorstep of triple digits gets everyone, at every level of baseball, excited.