Recent DHS Grad Trumon Jefferson Drafted by Texas Rangers

Recent Decatur High graduate, Trumon Jefferson, a baseball, football and basketball standout, got drafted by the Texas Rangers last week.

Last Wednesday, the 18-year-old lifelong Decatur resident officially became, in his words, “a baseball guy,” with the Rangers drafting him in the 39th round of the 2011 yirst-Year player draft.

By all accounts, Jefferson is the third Decatur High player ever selected since the free agent draft was initiated in 1965.

“[The Rangers] called me around two o’clock [Wednesday],” Jefferson said. “I had seven pre-draft workouts for different teams in the last month, so I figured somebody might draft me. But I can’t tell you how excited I was when I got that call.”

Jefferson was reached while working at the Eddie Fowlkes baseball camp last week.

“I’m gonna really miss not lacing up the football spikes and basketball shoes," Jefferson said. "Even now I can’t really tell you which is my favorite sport. I love ‘em all.”

Jefferson’s athletic career at Decatur High was something of a throwback, the kind of thing you saw 30, 40 and 50 years ago, when two of the more popular newspaper comic strips were “Gil Thorpe” (he coached every sport) and “Jack Armstrong (he played every sport), The All American Boy.”

In his last three years he earned nine varsity letters, three apiece in basketball, football and baseball. He was a two-time All-DeKalb County selection in baseball, and All-Region three times in basketball, where he scored a shade under 1500 points as one of the state’s most electrifying players.

Decatur Athletics Director Carter Wilson wasn’t exaggerating several months ago when, during the final home basketball game, he grabbed the P.A. and proclaimed, “Trumon Jefferson is one dadgum good Bulldog.”

That sentiment is shared by everyone who’s known or coached Jefferson dating back to his days at when he played every sport Decatur’s Active Living Department offered.

A few weeks ago as Jefferson’s senior year was winding down, an email came in from  Don Rigger, who founded the lacrosse program at Decatur High, but who also coached rec league basketball for many years:

“I was coaching at the [Decatur] Rec in the days when he came through," Rigger said. "His team won the championship every year, not so much because he made the most shots (although he did make a lot), but much more so because he made everyone around him so much better.  The other thing I remember was his versatility."

He added, "Like a miniature version of Magic Johnson, he could play anywhere. If you needed a point guard - he was your man.  Center - could do that too. Most times he did everything - bring the ball up, set up a teammate, rebound the miss and put it back in. Best of all - he was the same nice kid you see today - always with a big smile on his face. Of all the kids I've watched at Decatur over the years I think I'll miss him the most.”

Trumon will spend this summer playing travel ball for the Homeplate program in Peachtree City, but he’ll eventually be faced with a big decision. He already has a scholarship to play at Georgia Perimeter College, which has put several players including the Chicago Cubs’ Marlon Byrd in the big leagues.

But around late July or early August he figures to get an offer from the Rangers and then he’ll have to decide between the two. If he chooses to play at GPC, he’ll be eligible to be re-drafted next June.

“I’m not sure what I’m going to do right now,” he said. “I have to see what they offer. [The Rangers] really haven’t said a lot to me, but I know they like me. When I was going to all these workouts I kept hearing that baseball wants to start drafting better athletes. I also saw a lot more black players at these workouts than I ever expected.

“My feeling is the game is changing, they’re looking for more speed and defense, more athleticism, and that gives a guy like me a chance.”

Though we didn’t talk with anyone from the Rangers organization, it’s likely they consider Jefferson to have a high ceiling. Unlike many draftees he hasn’t played travel ball since the fifth or sixth grade, in fact Jefferson never played travel until this summer.

Nevertheless he still led Decatur this past spring with a .413 average, while also leading in hits, RBI and stolen bases. Considering he’s still pretty raw in terms of baseball technique, one can only imagine how much he’ll improve over the next few years. .

In talking with Eddie Fowlkes, resident high school historian and former Decatur baseball coach, it appears Jefferson is only the third Decatur High player ever selected since the free agent draft was initiated in 1965.

Fowlkes' own brother, David, was drafted in the fifth round by the Cleveland Indians in 1976 and eventually reached the Double-A level. The year before outfielder Dwight Bryant was drafted by the Cubs in the 17th round and played several years in the minors.

It appears, though we aren’t for certain, that the only Decatur High player to make it to the major leagues was shortstop Alf Anderson, who played for the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1941, 1942 and 1946, hitting .238 in 126 game. Alf, who died in Albany, Ga., in 1985, was (much like Jefferson) a multi-sport phenom at Decatur in the 1930s, but he played long before the draft existed and was probably signed by one of the old bird dog scouts and shipped out to the very low level Class D leagues.

In any case, when the subject of Trumon came up with Rigger, he shook his head, smiled and said, “If only we could have gotten him on the lacrosse field ...”