Plumlee to face new decision between college and MLB
John Rhys Plumlee continues to set himself apart in his high school athletic career. After having faced the decision of commitment to play both baseball and football the two-sport athlete is now being eyed by Major League Baseball.
Plumlee helped Oak Grove cruise past rival Petal in a 10-5 win on Tuesday night after going 3-for-5, driving in a run, stealing a base and scoring himself but for the centerfielder, it was just another quietly efficient night.
For much of Plumlee’s high school career, his football career has overshadowed his baseball one, especially after his recruitment process last fall.
The four-star quarterback was highly recruited this past fall especially after Plumlee had decommitted verbally to Georgia.
“He’s got great character,” Oak Grove’s football coach Drew Causey said. “He’s a great teammate. There’s not a whole lot of negatives I can say in that aspect of him. Just an overall great kid. He’s one of the best athletes I’ve been around. Just a great all-around player. He’s got the ability to change a ball game around at any point speaking of football but he is also a great baseball player.”
Plumlee was thrust into the starting quarterback role for the Warrior in 2016 as he threw just 837 yards and four touchdowns as well as running 271 yards and one touchdown.
Following the next season, Plumlee had a break out year in his junior campaign where the quarterback threw for 1,759 yards and 14 touchdowns and ran for another 599 yards and eight touchdowns. However, a hand injury sidelined Plumlee for a pair of games and the Warriors missed the playoffs. Finally in his recent senior year, Plumlee guided the Warriors to an appearance in the 6A state championship game. Again, Plumlee put up big numbers throwing for 2,834 yards and 33 touchdowns while rushing for 1,444 yards and 19 touchdowns.
Despite falling short to Horn Lake 31-27 in the state championship game, Plumlee threw for 337 yards and four touchdown passes in the loss. The stardom success on the football field gained the attention of numerous well-respected college football programs such as Auburn, Florida State, Mississippi State, Florida, Notre Dame and Nebraska to name a few.
Plumlee eventually signed with Ole Miss for both baseball and football a feat itself that is difficult to do since two-sport athletes have become very rare at the collegiate level.
“It’s difficult,” Causey said. “There’s so much demand from each sport. Most sports now start with youth leagues that become year round. Football is one of those sports that’s always year round because you are either playing, lifting weights [and] you’ve got spring football. In college baseball you play a fall league. There’s so much you have to do for that one sport it just makes it difficult and a lot of times guys aren’t good enough to play two sports. That’s part of it too.”
However, Plumlee has had just as much of a successful baseball career. In his junior season, Plumlee posted a .455 batting average, driving in 35 RBI, hitting 13 doubles and three home runs. Regardless of his hitting, his ability to get on base and run around the bases is another eyeing factor, as Plumlee has averaged a .512 on-base percentage and has stolen 52 bases in his career. Currently, in the heart of his senior year of baseball, Plumlee posts a .392 batting average has driven in 14 RBI, hit four doubles, four triples and one home run.
“You have to step back and really appreciate [being scouted by MLB],” Plumlee said. “But as for the pressure I try to not let that get to me. I’m still playing baseball and imp still having fun. Still playing the game. Sometimes I think I just try to do a little bit too much at the plate just to try and I guess show off for [the scouts]. It kind of gets myself in a hole. To have those guys come is a really cool thing for sure.”
Oak Grove baseball coach Chris McCardle says that Plumlee has handled the attention well which he says is the most important part dealing with the process.
“He’s up for all the challenges he faces,” McCardle said. “He was recruited by so many people. [that] it’s not anything new to him. It’s tough on an 18-year old kid. They’ve got all these scouts videoing them every time they bat. Watching him run on and off the field. Videoing him out in centerfield, video him throwing, video him getting a lead at first. It’s a mental thing for young kids but he’s tough. He’s mentally tough, a great athlete and he has handled it and done a good job with that.”
Plumlee explained that several regional scouts have come and visited him but says that the MLB draft process is much different than college recruitment.
“A lot of teams have shown interest,” Plumlee said. “It’s kind of a neat process before I didn’t really know how it all worked and stuff. You have some area scouts will come to your house and meet with you and they are trying to get a feel for you and your family [and] you’re trying to get a feel for them. They are not recruiting. It’s more like a relationship as if ‘I get to know you and you get to know me’ and then they kind of relay that up to their superiors and say ‘hey this guy loves baseball. This guy is a good guy or bad guy’ it’s a neat process for sure.”
Although the process is different, Plumlee says that the college recruitment process has prepared him for this upcoming decision. What he will choose between going to college and or going pro he says remains to be determined with the MLB draft two months away.
“It’s a really big decision,” Plumlee said. “After going through this whole recruitment process for I think it’s really going to help me make another big decision because that was a big decision for me as well. To come to the question, I don’t really know yet. I have got to do a lot of praying and thinking of my family and stuff.”
But for Plumlee it’s an experience that he is happy and grateful to be a part of.
“It’s definitely been a dream of mine since I was a little kid before I can even remember I was swinging a baseball bat,” Plumlee said. “To be able to play in the MLB one day is something crazy. It’s a cool thing. Like I said sometimes I try to do too much at the plate. I don’t have to show off and if it doesn’t work out then I get to go play baseball again. I’m in a win-win situation and I’m blessed about it.”
