Justin-Siena grad Wallace signs with baseball's Cardinals

By Register Online Staff

Former Justin-Siena star Brett Wallace signed today to play baseball with the St. Louis Cardinals, the team announced earlier today.

Wallace was the Cardinals' first-round pick in this year's MLB draft, selected 13th overall.

A third baseman at Arizona State University after graduating from Justin-Siena, Wallace is expected to report tomorrow to the Cards minor league team, the Quad Cities River Bandits in Iowa.

Wallace’s signing marked a great day for his family.

“We’re excited for him,” said his father, Larry. “We’re happy for him that he’s being paid off for all the hard work that’s he’s done.”

Brett’s mother, Patty, and older brother, Larry, accompanied him to Busch Stadium.

“They said that he looked pretty comfortable in the batting cage,” said Wallace’s dad.

Brett Wallace was presented with a crisp white Cardinals jersey with “Wallace 08” on the back to wear out onto the field before Tuesday’s game against the New York Mets.

The elder Larry Wallace said that his son, who hit three balls over the fence in the batting practice session, is due to report to Class A Quad Cities (Iowa) today.

He will play third base for the River Bandits for “a couple of weeks” to get used to swinging a wooden bat before breaking for the Golden Spikes Award festivities in New York, July 14-16.

The Golden Spikes Award is given annually to the top collegiate baseball player in the United States, and Wallace is one of five finalists.

Wallace’s parents will join him for the major league All-Star Game on July 15 at Yankee Stadium in New York, where he will be announced as one of the finalists during pregame festivities.

From there, Larry Wallace said, his son will be shipped to the Palm Beach Cardinals, a high-level Class A team in the Florida State League.

Check back later in the day for more on this story.

Napa Valley Register Copyright © 2009