Slade Heathcott grew up pulling for the Red Sox, but now he may be playing for their arch-rival the Yankees.

In this year’s MLB First-Year Player Draft, Heathcott was selected 29th overall in the first round by New York.

“I’m a Yankees fan now,” Heathcott said. “I actually was a Red Sox fan. I’ve always been a Red Sox fan since I was little and I just kept with it.”

Ranked 72 overall in the nation, Heathcott plays outfield for a Texas High School in Texarkana, Texas. He helped take his team to the state semifinals tomorrow night, and they’ll play in the state finals Thursday if they win. He say he is shocked about recently being drafted by the most famous team in baseball.

“It was somewhat of a surprise,” he said. “I had a feeling it might happen to a degree, but nothing was final, so it was a pretty big surprise. I had (talked to the Yankees) quite a bit. I think it’ll be an excellent fit.”

A five-tool player, Heathcott has had an stellar season for Texas High, hitting .457 (21-for-46) with four home runs, 28 RBI and 15 runs scored. He did all of that after having surgery to repair a torn ACL in his left knee last November, causing Heathcott to start his season in mid-March.

“It’s sore from time to time,” he said. “I came back in three and a half months to try and help my high school team out. The doctor said it would be sore, but it’s doing good.”

After failing to sign high school pitcher Gerrit Cole last year out of high school, it’s imperative the Yankees sign Heathcott, as they wouldn’t be compensated for not signing him next year. Heathcott, however, was a non-committal when it came to saying whether or not he would sign with the Yankees or play college baseball at LSU, where he’s already committed. Both are decent choices as this point.

“Like I’ve said all along throughout this whole process, I’m in a win-win situation either way,” he said. “I’m ready to get started if it works out. I’m just in an excellent situation right now.”

We look forward to seeing how Heathcott fares, whether it be for LSU or the Yankees.