Arkansas junior infielder Dominic Ficociello says he will sign with the Detroit Tigers and skip his senior year in Fayetteville.
Ficociello told 5NEWS over twitter that he’s in Lakeland, Fla. right now and plans on signing with the Tigers either Thursday night or Friday morning pending a physical. Ficociello was chosen in the 12th round, No. 366 overall. He now heads to the same team that drafted him three years ago in the 23rd round.
“It was an improvement,” said Ficociello of his draft status. “I guess I was destined to be a Tiger. That’s the first thing the guy said when he called me.”
Ficociello was not as good at the plate this season as he was in 2012. He batted .247, second worst among starters with 17 RBIs. In 2012 he batted .290 with 41 RBIs. Though his numbers were down, his presence as a leader and his defensive play will be missed.
“I’ll say it once and a million times, this was the best decision to come all the way out here to play baseball at the University of Arkansas.”
Ficociello made it known he was worried about his draft stock plummeting next year and losing money if he came back for a senior year.
“It kind of eats at me because in reality I wouldn’t have any problem coming back for another year,” said Ficociello. “From a future standpoint and a business standpoint it would kind of hurt me.”
The Hogs are still waiting on a decision from Van Buren junior pitcher Brandon Moore. He was picked in the 17th round by Milwaukee.
