STARKVILLE — In the nine months he has walked the Starkville streets, Mississippi State outfielder Colton Ledbetter developed a routine.
He went to class. Did his school work. Spent from 1 to 6 p.m. most days practicing with the MSU baseball team.
He often visited Harvey’s, Bulldog Burger and The Grill with teammates and friends. And in between, Ledbetter scratched the golf itch he picked up during the pandemic, at Mossy Oak and the MSU golf course, where some days he “swang like Rory (McIlory)” and others … not so much.
More than anything he dazzled at Dudy Noble Field, commanding center field with swiftness and a strong arm, and knocking baseballs all over the park with a hot bat.
“This place,” Ledbetter said, “has been more supportive than anything I could have ever dreamed of.”
Ledbetter’s time in Starkville set him up for what he’s doing now: preparing for July’s MLB Draft.
Ledbetter has hardly had time to breathe since May 20, when MSU’s season ended with a loss at home to Texas A&M to clinch the Bulldogs’ second-consecutive missed postseason. He says he’s heard from just about all 30 major league teams over the past week, gotten invited to on-field workouts and established connections with front office scouts and executives.
He’s figuring out a way to go to June’s MLB Combine at Chase Field in Phoenix, home of the Arizona Diamondbacks. Only the top 300 to 400 MLB Draft prospects get invited. Ledbetter is one of them.
“I definitely have been swamped with this MLB stuff,” Ledbetter told The Dispatch in a recent phone call. “But I am not complaining.”
Spoken like a projected first-round draft pick, which could end up being Ledbetter’s future when the MLB Amatuer Draft begins July 9.
Ledbetter, a Samford transfer, came to Starkville with the goal of improving his draft position. MLB.com currently ranks Ledbetter as its 47th best draft prospect.
“I put all my best effort out on the field,” he said. “I produced every time I had the chance to. Now I am just waiting and letting my stats (do the work).”
Broken promises and perseverance
Ledbetter had this dream mapped out since high school.
He was a two-sport star at Spain Park in Hoover, Alabama, also playing football. After his junior year he decided to focus solely on baseball.
Ledbetter had more opportunities there. He was going to be an MLB player.
Ledbetter always wanted to play in the Southeastern Conference, too. The road there had some stops and disappointments.
He could have been drafted in 2020 after his senior year of high school. Fred Ledbetter, Colton’s dad, recalls the Seattle Mariners, Minnesota Twins, then the Cleveland Indians and Boston Red Sox all being interested. Some even promising draft selections.
That year’s draft was shortened to five rounds because of the COVID-19 pandemic. All five rounds went by without Ledbetter hearing his name.
“In my mind I was just grateful to go through that experience,” Ledbetter said. “I didn’t have any hard feelings about it. I am very religious, so I knew God had a plan for me. I took it with a grain of salt, moved on to Samford and tried to do the best I could.”
The pandemic altered Ledbetter’s college plans, too. When he signed with Samford, he says he was promised a starting position as a true freshman in center field and spot in the middle of the Bulldogs’ batting order by former head coach Casey Dunn.
Then, Samford’s entire starting lineup (most of whom chose to use the extra year of eligibility the NCAA granted due to pandemic disruptions) came back to school, regulating Ledbetter to the bench. Dunn then left for the head coaching opening at UAB after the 2021 season.
“It’s hard to keep trust in those people who give you promises,” Ledbetter recalled. “It was also a weird situation with COVID. I tried to keep it simple, everything at ground level. Our coach wasn’t the one who brought COVID on us. I didn’t really blame him for starting those guys above me.”
There were days sitting in that dugout where Ledbetter doubted he was even good enough for the SoCon. He wanted to transfer after his freshman year and possibly play at the junior college level to get his name back on the college baseball map.
Fred Ledbetter convinced him to stay, and it ended up being the right decision.
Colton exploded onto the scene as a sophomore. In 57 games with Samford he batted .318, tallying 67 hits, 57 RBIs and 16 home runs.
More importantly, his SEC dream was back in the fold.
“I can still see that young man hanging over the dugout,” Fred said of his son. “He never dropped his head, was a team player, supported the team, practiced as hard as anyone and hoped he would get to play some. The mental toughness that kid had was unbelievable. He doesn’t falter.”
‘I wanted to be on the big stage’
The calls started coming in minutes after Ledbetter’s name hit the transfer portal.
Kevin O’Sullivan at Florida. Mark Kingston at South Carolina. Josh Holliday at Oklahoma State. John Szefc at Virginia Tech and Chris Lemonis at MSU.
Colton and his dad were on the way to Rhode Island for summer ball in the New England Collegiate Baseball League when his phone began ringing. The duo spent hours at a truck stop just so Ledbetter could talk to coaches.
With those calls came more promises.
“We need a new center fielder.”
“Come to Stillwater and you won’t want to leave.”
For Colton, choosing his next school was a business decision. He needed to land somewhere he could get the most playing time, get his name out and raise his draft stock. MSU offered that opportunity.
“I wanted to be on the big stage and show my talent,” he said. “I came into (this season) not expecting to be here one more year, but putting in all my efforts and hard work hoping it would pay off in the draft.”
Colton admitted there was initial anxiety playing in Starkville, on the stage he always wanted in front of a packed stadium. But when he settled in, he turned into one of the Bulldogs’ best all-around players.
This past season, Colton’s .320 average topped all of MSU’s everyday starters. In 53 games he tallied 63 hits, 12 homers, 52 RBIs and stole 17 bases. In the field he collected 113 putouts, with one outfield assist and only four errors for a .966 fielding percentage.
“There are really high expectations here and you can either take that as you have a bunch of fans that are behind your back at all times, or don’t mess up or the fans are going to eat you alive,” he said. “I had to battle that early on, but once I realized it’s the same game I’ve been playing, I just tried to keep it simple.”
If all goes right, the minor leagues are next
In his nine months as a Bulldog, Colton fell in love with this place — this program.
The Dude. The 10,000-plus fans showing up to games. The Palmeiro Center.
The M over S tends to have that effect on many who wear it. Even for people like Colton who weren’t destined to be here very long.
As of Wednesday, he is still on campus, taking in his final portions of barbeque brisket and pulled pork at The Little Dooey and working on his short game. He’s still here hitting, lifting and preparing for his future, too.
Though unlikely, Colton hasn’t ruled out returning to Starkville next season for his final year of eligibility.
“I’m just going to see what happens during the draft and make my decision from there,” he said. “That will be another thing to worry about for me (later). I’m just going to see how the draft goes when that day comes, and make my decision from there. If something goes wrong, I would love to come back to Starkville.”
Colton has seen the mock drafts projecting him in the first round, some as high as the top 10. He knows he likely won’t have to wait long to hear his name called on draft night. He’s also been through the ringer enough to know not everything is guaranteed.
If all goes according to plan, however, by early July Colton Ledbetter will have multi-million reasons to take his next step towards the big leagues.
Justin Frommer is the Mississippi State sports reporter for The Dispatch.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 56 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
