David Price (Jon SooHoo/Los Angeles Dodgers)

by Cary Osborne

David Price was 18 years old and participating in the 2004 High School All-America Game in Albuquerque, New Mexico, alongside some of the top prep talent in the country.

“I remember going to the field and the guys going, ‘Congrats,’” Price recalled. “(I asked): What happened?”

Price, then one of the top high school pitchers in the nation, was committed to Vanderbilt University. The First-Year Player Draft was distant from his mind.

But the Dodgers took their shot that June.

“The Dodgers drafted you,” Price continued the story, recalling what his All-American teammates said to him. “Ah. All right. cool. I’m going to college, but that’s cool.”

Now, nearly 16 years since the 2004 MLB Draft, when the Dodgers selected Price in the 19th round, 568th overall, they got their man. Price was acquired with 2018 American League MVP Mookie Betts in a five-player trade on Feb. 10.

“It is crazy,” Price said of finally playing for the team that first drafted him.

Price said there wasn’t a thought of signing with the Dodgers after he was selected in 2004 because he was firmly committed to attending college.

“It was the right thing for me at the time. It’s what I needed,” Price said. “I wasn’t ready for minor league or pro ball at the time. College was the direction I needed, and it was the best decision I ever made.”

Price was ranked as the №51 high school player in the Class of 2004 by Perfect Game, but signability meant that teams stayed away from selecting Price until the Dodgers took a chance.

Price became an elite performer at Vanderbilt. In 2007 as a junior he was selected as the Golden Spikes Award winner, recognizing him as the nation’s top amateur player.

He was selected first overall in the 2007 MLB Draft by the Tampa Bay Rays and executive vice president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman — now the Dodgers’ president of baseball operations.

“When (the trade to the Dodgers) was official, (Friedman) said it’s kind of full circle,” Price said. “I don’t know if he was talking about the Dodgers drafting me out of high school or being reunited with him and the other people who work or play for the Dodgers now. So it is kind of full circle and it’s been neat.”

Now 12 Major League seasons into a career that includes a 2012 Cy Young Award, five All-Star selections and a World Series title in 2018, Price said he feels nostalgic.

“Coming over here, getting to hit and run the bases, it takes me back to being a kid, being back in high school,” he said. “I’m looking forward to it.”

He’s also looking forward to pitching in another formidable rotation with three-time Cy Young Award winner Clayton Kershaw and 2019 All-Star Walker Buehler, among others.

In 2011, Price’s Tampa Bay Rays led the American League in starters’ ERA. The next season, the Rays, in a season in which he won the ERA crown, led the Majors in starters’ ERA.

In 2014 with Detroit, he pitched in a rotation with Max Scherzer, Justin Verlander and Rick Porcello — each of whom owns a Cy Young Award. Anibal Sanchez, who won the 2013 AL ERA crown, was also in that rotation.

“I’ve been in really good rotations ever since I’ve been in the big leagues,” Price said. “I just want to do my part here. That’s it. I want to go out there and have fun and on the four days I’m not (starting), I want guys to feel good about themselves. I want to make sure they’re in the right mindset to go out and help us win.”