Chris Singleton’s future is looking rather bright. Shortly after losing his mother in the Charleston Massacre at AME Church, Singleton has beed drafted to the Chicago Cubs.
The Post & Courier reports Singleton was the final pick for the team during the drafts for the MLB amateur draft. The news came to Singleton on Wednsday (June 14) while he was operating his pool-cleaning business, Moore Clean Pools. After losing his mother Rev. Sharonda Coleman-Singleton by the hands of white supremacist Dylann Roof two years ago, Singleton continued to play as a junior outfielder for Charleston Southern Univeristy. He also would routinely spread words of love as he continued to take care of his younger siblings.
Singleton, who has also lost his father, has high hopes his parents are proud of him. “It’s not really a sad thought at all,” he said. “It’s more of a happy thought. I always say, I don’t want to let my mom down, and today I think I’m definitely not doing that.”
Stuart Lake, a coach of Singleton’s during his time at CSU, says the student earned his position with the legendary team. “It felt like one of my own kids was drafted,” he said. “I’m so proud and happy for Chris. He and I have gone through so much together. We talked today and he thanked me for giving him a chance. But I’ve got a whole lot more to thank him for. He’ll always be a part of me and my family just as a person. From the moment everything happened with his mom, baseball was an escape for him,” Lake added. “It was something we talked about a lot: Use it the right way, but always let baseball be fun.”
Other teams like the Yankees sent messages of love on social media. Singleton was a former Hope Week honoree and had the opportunity to meet members from the team in 2015.
Congrats to 2015 #HOPEWeek honoree @csingleton__2 on being drafted by the @Cubs! Doesn't matter where you ended up, we're proud of you! pic.twitter.com/o36lco6rKs
— New York Yankees (@Yankees) June 14, 2017
Jason McLeod, vice president of player development and amateur scouting, tells the Chicago Tribune Singleton is a “top-10 caliber talent.””With what’s happened, obviously there’s some national tragedy,” McLeod said. “The story is unavoidable for him. (But) first and foremost, he’s a talented player on the field, and we had him evaluated really as almost like a top-10 caliber talent. He’s very athletic, a plus runner, plus defender, a base stealer, and played all three years at Charleston Southern and in the Collegiate Summer league last year.”
During the latest CSU season, Singleton has stared in all 51 games, acing 18 steals, 38 runs scored and four home runs. The athlete says he’s more than ready to play with the Cubs. “This is really just the beginning,” he said. “I’m prepared to work very, very hard and work my way up each and every day.”