Adam Hall always knew he wanted to be a professional baseball player and on Monday night the teenage Bermudian took a big step towards that when he was drafted by the Baltimore Orioles at No 60 in the second round of the Major League Baseball draft.

Hall, who just turned 18 on May 22, has been seen as one of Canada’s top young prospects, a talent Baltimore also recognised with the shortstop being drafted 55 places above his predicted ranking.

For Hall, who is soon to graduate from AB Lucas Secondary School in Ontario and has committed to Texas A&M University, it is all just starting to sink in. He will soon join the Orioles in the Rookie League in Sarasota, Florida, to continue his development.

“I think it started to sink in this morning, last night I wasn’t really sure what was going on,” Hall told The Royal Gazette yesterday. “It’s pretty exciting. I’ll probably be down there [Florida] in a week or so to get things started and getting introduced to the new life, so that is exciting as well. The goal is obviously to get into the majors as quickly as possible, but I have to take it one day at a time and focus on getting better at each level and working my way up.”

It all started for Hall at the YAO baseball programme at Southside, where he showed early promise. He still has fond memories of that youth league and of growing up in Bermuda.

“I’ve been back about three times over Christmas,” said Hall, whose mother is the former Helen Outerbridge from Bailey’s Bay. Both she and her husband, Tyler, a Canadian, were school teachers on the island.

Adam’s love of the game developed in the YAO programme under coach Phil Ray before being given the opportunity by the late Tom MacNeil to hone his skills further by competing with older players.

In 2011, at the age of 12, his parents sent him to Canada to further develop, later making the move permanently themselves. The winters were pretty harsh, but Adam simply made the adjustment.

“I had been through a little bit of it but this was what I wanted to do, chasing my dreams, so I didn’t have any problem at all,” he said of the weather.

“A couple of my coaches had been through the same thing that I’m going through right now, so having them there giving me advice and knowledge over the years has been really helpful. Of course my parents’ support has been really, really big for me, too.”

His parents have seen the sacrifices paying off with Adam becoming one of the top junior players in Canada. Last year he joined a growing list of Canadians to play in the prestigious Under Armour All-American game at Wrigley Field in Chicago when he was the lone Canada player.

“We’re extremely proud of him, he has worked hard and has pretty much dreamt of this since he first stepped on to the baseball diamond,” his mother said. “I’m very proud of him.

“We sent him up here at age 12 and he lived with one of his coaches for two years. He knew that if he wanted to play baseball that this was what he was going to have to do. He jumped in with both feet.

“Tyler then moved up here and I kept working for a bit and then moved up the following year. The hardest part was me leaving Bermuda. The first winter here was pretty harsh!”

The family back in Bermuda, including Helen’s twin sister Faith Outerbridge, are delighted to hear the news.

“With Adam, it’s his hard work and dedication that is paying off,” aunt Faith said.

“He went away at a young age and had to stand on his own two feet.

“He’s been very focused on what he wanted and had to work hard to achieve it. Full credit to him.

“His father is Canadian and they started going away for the summers, that’s when he started to get into the programmes. Very quickly his talent was recognised.”

The MLB scouting report on Hall said: “He does have a shot to be a rare Canadian shortstop at the next level. The Texas A&M commit might be a bit unpolished, but he has considerable tools and upside. He has a decent approach at the plate for his age and experience level, with a natural feel to hit. There should be some power in the future as well.”

Hall appreciates his early baseball start in Bermuda and also credits Canada for taking him to the next level.

“If I had stayed in Bermuda, I wouldn’t even be playing baseball because they didn’t have age groups for me,” he told the Canadian media earlier this year. “Canadian baseball has changed my life a lot.”