DeVall signs with Braves

By JARED MACARIN

jaredm@nwfdailynews.com

The negotiations took a little longer than he first thought, but Brett DeVall is now finally - and officially - an Atlanta Brave.

The former Niceville standout signed a seven-year deal with the Braves on Monday, just more than a month after the team selected him in the supplemental first round of the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft. He received a signing bonus of $1.1 million.

"I'm just pretty excited," said DeVall, who was the No. 40 pick in the draft. "I'm ready to start my professional career."

DeVall's career will begin in Orlando with Atlanta's Gulf Coast League team. The left-hander said he will probably spend the rest of the season with the rookie league club, and then move up to Single A Danville or Rome next year. He said he expects to make his first start sometime in the next few weeks.

Entering the draft, DeVall was rated by Baseball America as the top left-handed high school pitcher in the draft after leading Niceville to the Class 5A state semifinals. He went 13-2 for the year with a 0.60 ERA and struck out 160 batters, earning first-team all-state recognition in the process.

He had signed with the University of Georgia, which was runner-up at the College World Series this spring. But then came June 5 and the draft, where DeVall was selected by the Braves hours before he walked for his high school graduation. He had hoped to get his contract ironed out quickly, but said he was not frustrated with the prolonged process.

"I just laid back and was waiting for everything to get situated," he said.

Now that the deal is done and he is a professional, he and the Braves have lofty expectations.

"They said congratulations and welcome to the ballclub," DeVall said, "and they look forward to seeing me in Atlanta in the next few years."