[August 05, 2011] Pirates pick Comet hurler Tweet Jun 15, 2011 (The Herald - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- Clayton High School graduate Jason Creasy expected an important phone call this week. He thought it could come on Tuesday, as it did, just not as early as it did. Creasy, a 6-foot-4 right-handed pitcher, was drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the eighth round of the MLB First-Year Player Draft. Creasy, who was named the Greater Neuse River 4-A Conference pitcher of the year after helping lead the Comets (19-5) to the GNRC championship and a run to the third round of the 4-A playoffs, said he entered the draft process with a 50-50 chance that he'd elect to go to N.C. State for three seasons or accept a contract from the team that drafted him. "I knew I was going to get drafted, but I didn't think it would be that high," Creasy said. "I thought it could be the 15th round or so, but not the eighth. I knew the Pirates liked me, they had some interest, but it didn't seem like they liked me that much." Based on which teams had talked to him the most, Creasy expected to see the a Bronx-based area code (the New York Yankees) showing up on his caller ID. The Pirates called Creasy early on Tuesday to gauge his interest, telling him they might hear from them in a couple of hours. Before Creasy knew it, his phone was ringing again with the Pirates telling him they'd made him the 242nd selection in the draft. "It was really an exciting day," Creasy said. "I'm ready to see what they have to offer and decide what's best for me, based on what they have to offer. We'll see what happens." He said this week that he would be looking for above slot money to sign. Under current draft rules, slot money doesn't exist after the fifth round. Teams are prohibited from signing any player drafted after the fifth round for more than a certain figure set by MLB. Last year, that number was $125,000. This year's number is expected to be between $125,000 -- $150,000. South Johnston's Logan Jernigan was projected as a possible draft pick this year, but the right-handed pitcher wasn't drafted. He'll play at N.C. State next season. Both Jernigan and Creasy are playing Legion baeball for Post 71 this summer. To see more of The Herald or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to www.theherald-nc.com/. Copyright (c) 2011, The Herald, Smithfield, N.C. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For more information about the content services offered by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services (MCT), visit www.mctinfoservices.com. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]