Bryan Hudson delivers a pitch in a recent Alton High School game.
Bryan Hudson delivers a pitch in a recent Alton High School game.

 

Alton’s Bryan Hudson is a 6-foot-8 giant on the mound, but off the field he is a humble, intelligent, young man that any parent would be proud to have as their son.

Hudson hails from Alton High School, the same school as the world’s tallest man – Robert Wadlow – and seems to have some of Robert’s sedate characteristics. Wadlow grew to 8-foot-11.5 inches. Hudson is 17 and still growing with his 220 pounds, his coach Todd Haug said.

The left-handed pitching prospect did a one-on-one interview with Riverbender.com on Tuesday afternoon. The Major League Baseball draft is approaching in June and Hudson has been getting colossal attention. Jokingly, Alton High baseball coach Todd Haug calls Hudson “the tall Madonna.” On Monday night, Hudson started on the mound and there were more than a dozen pro baseball scouts in attendance.

Cory and Nicole Hudson, Bryan’s parents, have done everything possible to make him succeed and be a good person, he said in the interview. Even with all the attention from scouts, colleges, etc., when he comes home he is their son and they try to keep him down to earth.

“They don’t let these things get to my head and allow me to get too hiked up,” he said. “They are always there to talk and always keep me at a ground level. They have taught me to stay humble and don’t burn any bridges. You never know what is coming ahead.”

Many high school athletes would be full of themselves with the constant attention, but not Bryan.

“I really don’t let all this get to me; I do what I do,” he said. “I try to keep my mind in the game and do what I do best out there. I think being humble is the best way to go out there and the best way of going about things. I am just going to stay the same as I am now, no matter what happens.”

Bryan said he is surprised he has attracted so much attention from the scouts. He said his father was a baseball player and he passed the love of the national pastime to his son.

“I started playing baseball at age 4 when I was old enough to walk,” he said. “It is the only thing I know. Basketball is something I have grown into with my size. I always put forth as much effort as I can.”

Hudson was the center on Alton High School’s basketball team that advanced to the sectional championship recently and likely could play that sport in college.

Haug said Bryan is the perfect kid to deal with the professional baseball attention he is seeing.

“He doesn’t get too high,” he said. “He is a humble young man even though he is under the spotlight now of the Major League. To this point, every Major League team has been in contact with him. He could be a very high first-day draft pick. It has turned into a circus, but it is a neat circus.”

Bryan previously signed a letter of intent to attend the University of Missouri on a baseball scholarship. The big question on most people’s minds is if the Alton High School player is drafted in the first round of the Major League Draft, will he go pro?

He said as of right now, he intends to attend the University of Missouri on scholarship, but he is entering the draft.

“I am keeping my options open and I will decide as it comes,” he said. “I am definitely going to get my college degree, whether I do it at Missouri or I do it with online classes."

The discussion of whether or not he would accept a professional contract or play in college comes up just about every night at the Hudson dinner table.

“It will be a long process,” Bryan said of the decision on whether or not to accept a professional baseball contract at this stage.

Like most in the Alton region, Bryan is a diehard St. Louis Cardinals fan. Nothing would make him happier than to ultimately play in a Redbirds uniform, although he knows that may not be possible.

“I am going to try to make that happen,” he said of eventually playing for the St. Louis Cardinals. “That is a goal. That would make me very happy.”

Each day, Haug is communicating with a variety of scouts via e-mail and in-group chats, so he doesn’t have to field hundreds of calls.

“I probably talk to four or five organizations a day,” Haug said. “The sky is the limit for him. He can throw in the mid-90 miles per hour range and that is not common for a high school player. He legitimately has the best breaking ball this area has ever seen and throws it 82 miles per hour.”

Haug said he thinks Bryan will wait and see how the Major League draft goes before he closes out his final decision on the next step.

“He has unbelievable opportunities,” Haug said. “His sights are set on Missouri. If Major League Baseball comes with the right figures, I think he would give it a serious look.”

Bryan is very thankful for the support he has received through the years from the Alton-Godfrey area, his coaches, teachers and most of all, his family.

“My mom and dad have been my support system,” he said. “I can’t thank my mom and dad enough for raising me right. We are just an average family making it along. My goal is to make it to the top.”

 

Bryan Hudson issues a sensational dunk in his last high school game in the Normal Sectional. He and the other teammates became known for their dunks in the season..
Bryan Hudson issues a sensational dunk in his last high school game in the Normal Sectional. He and the other teammates became known for their dunks in the season..

 

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