In 2008, he was an integral part of the Louisa County baseball team that swept the Jefferson District. This spring, bouncing back from a torn ACL he suffered at the end of last summer, Fleming pushed St. Christopher’s to a VISAA Division I championship appearance. Now the former Lion has a chance to join the Atlanta Braves organization after the franchise took Fleming in the eighth round with the 254th overall pick of the Major League Baseball draft.
“I’ve liked the Braves since I was little,” Fleming said. “Any professional team could’ve taken me, but the Braves are probably my favorite team since I was little.”
Despite knowing his fate, Fleming still took the field for his American Legion squad, Fluvanna Post 2003 on Tuesday night as they squared off against Albemarle Post 74 on the road. It made the most sense to him.
“I love baseball so I might as well go out and do what I love [instead of celebrating],” Fleming said.
Of course for the rest of the summer, his status as a baseball player will be the buzz around fans and clubhouses. Even on Tuesday, his presence on the field wound up perking up his opponents as they took delight in playing with a potential major leaguer.
“We talked about [Fleming getting drafted],” said Albemarle coach Mike Maynard. “We talked about it before the game—about what a great opportunity it is to play against someone that just got drafted.”
Fleming’s older brother Kenny, an all-state player at Louisa County who went to Texas Tech before heading to Shelton State Community College in Alabama, was also drafted by the Braves’ organization this year, in the 30th round of the draft.
Fleming has a serious decision to make as he’s also been offered a spot at Army to play both football and baseball. Were he to put off joining the Braves for the time being, he would be reunited with former Louisa teammate Gunnar Carroll who signed a letter of intent to play at West Point this past spring. Fleming’s older brother Kyle played for the Black Knights starting in the spring of 2006, serving as a designated hitter and outfielder.
“It’s a really good academic school,” Fleming said. “So coming out of there I could get any job I want, but playing professional baseball has been a dream of mine since I was little so it’s going to be a hard decision.”
It’s a bit of a problem, but a problem that most athletes would be happy to have.
Editors note: Aaron Perryman contributed to this story.
