David Kandilas signs with the Colorado Rockies!

Seventeen year-old David Kandilas from the southern Sydney suburb of Dolans Bay has secured a professional baseball contract with the Colorado Rockies. David generated interest from several Major League clubs over a considerable period of time, however it was the Rockies who ultimately secured David's signature with a six figure $USD signing bonus.

David will start spring training in Arizona in early 2009 for the Rockies, and then move to Wyoming to play in the Pioneer League that same year. The Rockies, who contested their first World Series in 2007, were named 2007 minor league organization of the year.

David started playing 'T-Ball' with Birrong aged five, and then to the Bankstown Sports Baseball Club before moving to the Cronulla club in the Sutherland Shire.

In 2003 David competed in the Cal Ripken World Series in Aberdeen, USA and on returning from the US was selected in the first of many successive Cronulla representative teams.

David showed great athletic ability at a tender age and as a result in 2007 he broke a 27 year-old school under-17 100-metre sprint record with a time of 11.02 seconds. Also in this same year David gained a scholarship with the NSW Institute of Sport and as a 16 year-old recorded an outfield throwing velocity of 100.6 mph (162km/h).

Another milestone in 2007 saw David invited to the prestigious Australian Major League Baseball Academy on the Gold Coast, where he was awarded MVP for Sessions 1 & 2. Head coach David Nilsson, a veteran of 9 years in the Major Leagues, at that time commented, "I am very impressed with David's speed, work ethic, above average throwing arm and overall ability". Nilsson added recently on hearing of David's signing, "If David has patience and perseverance he has the potential to go all the way to the Major Leagues. I am thrilled to hear about David signing with the Colorado Rockies".

During visits to 'Playball' Baseball Academy in Fort Lauderdale, Florida in both 2006 and 2007 David was seen by various scouts, and this was the beginning of the road to his contract.

However, the road had a slight bump. On the eve of the 2008 AAA under-18 Australian Championships David suffered appendicitis, which resulted in surgery, and as such he had to withdraw from the NSW state side. He bounced back hard though, that being his nature. First he competed in Series 5 of the Claxton Shield with the Australia Provincial team, recording respectable batting averages. Then, as a member of the NSW state under-23 team competing in the Australian Championships, David recorded a stellar performance hitting 0.765 while connecting for three home runs in just 17 at bats, and as a result lead almost all offensive categories.

It was at this tournament that David further caught the eye of Phil Allen the Rockies Australian based scout. "David has continued to impress me from the first time I saw him in a competitive environment a couple of years ago. An associate of mine, Wayne Finney, alerted me to David's talents and I have followed his progress ever since. David's competitive natures combined with an uncompromising spirit of endeavor are two of the components of a complexity of tools I consider necessary to succeed at a professional level. He has displayed above average arm strength, above average speed, an ability to get the head of the bat to the ball, and is developing power at the plate. These tools combined with an energy and an appetite for the game, and an inner competitiveness lead me to believe he has a very real chance of success".

A huge component of any decision the Rockies make when assessing player talent is, does this player want to be part of the Colorado Rockies organization? In David's case the answer was a resounding yes. "I know we have signed a genuine talent in David. So many factors can, and do, influence a player's longevity in this game. Ultimately if all of the pieces fall into place, David has a very real chance of long-term success at a very high level".

Craig Stoves of Platinum Player Management is David's agent and recalls seeing David at the Australian under-16 tournament in Mt Gambier, SA in 2006. "David really caught my attention... you could easily see he was an outstanding athlete. I knew that this was a player to keep an eye on. He had a great arm and ran real well, and there was good potential for other important areas to develop solidly. For mine he was always going to be a genuine prospect, and in time I offered my services to David and his family".

In the middle of this year David again heads back to the Major League Baseball Australian Academy to continue honing his skills, and is hopeful of selection in the Australian under-19 team to contest the World Championships in Edmonton, Canada later this year.

David shared his thoughts on signing with the Rockies. "I feel really comfortable in signing with the Rockies. I know they will look after me and give me every opportunity to make it to the big leagues. I am excited about the future, and I am looking forward to heading to the USA".

Under no illusions that it will be a very tough path, David now has his sights firmly set on the Major Leagues.