What was predicted by dozens of Little League fans nearly a decade ago was validated this season by dozens of professional baseball scouts who made Santa Cruz High one of their destinations. On Tuesday, speculation that they were witnessing a future pro-level player became reality.

Cardinals senior GJ Hill, a fleet-footed 5-foot-9, 170-pound shortstop with power from both sides of the plate, was chosen in the MLB First-Year Player Draft by the Arizona Diamondbacks. They selected him in the fourth round with the No. 122 overall pick. He is the highest overall pick from Santa Cruz County since Scotts Valley left-handed pitcher Robbie Erlin was taken 93rd overall by Texas in 2009.

Hill was playing “H-O-R-S-E” in Santa Cruz’s gymnasium and had a two-letter lead over friends Javier Felix, Anthony Karagiannopoulos and p.e. teacher Bob Kittle when the game was cut short by the news.

“I’m feeling a thousand different things right now,” Hill said. “I’m excited, happy, relieved … It has been a crazy couple days.”

Now, he’s faced with a can’t-lose decision: Sign a professional contract or honor the commitment he made to NCAA Division I Arizona State prior to his junior season.

“I’ve got really good problems to be worrying about right now,” Hill said after the Cardinals’ season-ending loss to Serra in the Central Coast Section Open Division playoffs May 20. “Whatever happens happens. And whatever turns out, I’m blessed.”

Hill checked in at No. 169 on MLB’s Prospect Watch list prior to the draft, but he ended up going considerably higher. Recommended slot money for the No. 122 pick is $469,000.

Hill Jr. has already has more exposure to the big leagues than many of this year’s first-round picks may ever see. He first stepped foot in an MLB dugout as an 8-year-old while his father, Glenallen Hill Sr., a former MLB outfielder and designated hitter, served as first base coach for the Colorado Rockies.

Hill Sr., a former three-sport star at Santa Cruz, also committed to ASU in high school. He was selected in the ninth round of the 1983 MLB Draft by Toronto and signed a professional contract. He went on to play 13 seasons with seven MLB teams as a power-hitting outfielder and designated hitter.

Each summer during his father’s tenure with Colorado, Hill spent two to three weeks with the Rockies and did his best to internalize what he heard and witnessed. He was on the bench during games and picked the brains of Rockies players when the time was right, often seeking advice from Brandon Barnes and Corey Dickerson, among others.

Since 2015, Hill Sr. has served as manager of the Albuquerque Isotopes, the Rockies’ Triple-A affiliate, and GJ has continued to spend part of his summer with his father at the park.

Hill Sr., in town for his son’s graduation Friday, as well as his wife, Lori, and their daughter, Heleyna, and other members of their extended family celebrated with GJ once he returned home from school.

“We were just watching the draft on TV and were like, ‘What the …? Oh, my gosh!'” Hill Sr. said.

Hill, advanced beyond his years, crushed prodigious home runs and rounded the bases like a gazelle as a youngster, prompting locals to saddle him with lofty expectations. He hasn’t minded trying to live up to them.

“GJ chose that path on his own,” Hill Sr. said of his son following in his footsteps. “He was never pushed. In fact, it was Mom who first threw the Wiffle ball to him. And he picked up the plastic bat, left-handed, and took her deep. It started from something like 3 years old.”

His parents made a point of keeping him away from travel ball to help temper undue pressure to play at the next level, though his talent and skills were undeniable.

Hill was a fixture on most all-star teams leading into his freshman year at Archbishop Mitty High in San Jose. After one season with the Monarchs’ varsity team, Hill returned to his hometown high school for his final three seasons. Eligible to play midway through his sophomore season, the Cardinals went from a losing squad to a section power upon his arrival, which coincided with Felix, a San Diego State commit, also becoming eligible after transferring from Scotts Valley to Santa Cruz.

“My dreams and aspirations have never changed,” Hill said. “I worked extremely hard and I’m going to continue to do so until all is said and done.”

Their final two years on the team, Hill and Felix helped the Cardinals go unbeaten in the Santa Cruz Coast Athletic League, a span of 27 games. With scouts at nearly all his games this season, it was hard to ignore the fanfare.

“It was pretty inevitable,” Cardinals coach Dustin Torchio said. “From the time he showed up here there was hype or talk around the situation (of the draft). Plus, his bloodlines as well.”

Hill earned first-team all-SCCAL honors as a sophomore and senior. In 20 games this season, Hill batted .435 (27 for 88) with six doubles, three home runs, 13 RBIs and 23 runs scored. He had a 1.258 on-base plus slugging percentage. He missed part of the season with a hamstring injury but stole 12 bases in 14 attempts upon his return.

“He would’ve had a lot more but we were up by 12 runs in a lot of our league games,” Torchio said. “His speed is unreal. Guys can generate the pop he has, but they’re a lot bigger. He has elite speed for any size and age.”

Five times this year, Hill held post-game batting sessions for scouts, who already had folders full of information on him. Still, he took part in three pre-draft workouts last week, visiting Milwaukee, San Francisco and San Diego.

Hill, who competed in the prestigious Area Code Underclass Games at Long Beach State after his sophomore season, racked up the frequent flier miles after his junior season. He competed in the MLB/USAB Breakthrough Series at the Urban Youth Academy in Kansas City on June 10-12; Tournament of Stars at the USA Baseball National Training Complex in Cary, North Carolina, on June 18-23; Perfect Game World Series at the San Diego Padres’ spring training complex in Peoria, Arizona, on July 19-23; Area Code Games in early August; and New Balance Future Stars Series at the Los Angeles Dodgers’ complex in Glendale, Arizona, on Aug. 31-Sept. 3.

Hill stayed humble throughout the whole process.

“He’s a great kid,” Torchio said. “That’s what you hear from every single scout. They’re raving about his makeup. It’s not just me saying this. It’s everyone. It’s the kinda guy he is, which is really important.”

LOCALS IN THE MLB Draft

Santa Cruz County players drafted in the first 10 rounds (since 2000)

ROUND (OVERALL PICK) NAME, POSITION, ORGANIZATION, SCHOOL, YEAR

3. (83) Aaron Bates, 1B, Red Sox, N.C. State, 2006

3. (93) Robbie Erlin, LHP, Rangers, Scotts Valley High, 2009

3. (104) Kevin Eichhorn, RHP, Diamondbacks, Aptos High, 2008

4. (122) Glenallen Hill Jr. SS, Diamondbacks, Santa Cruz High, 2019

4. (136) Bobby Crocker, CF, A’s, Cal Poly SLO, 2011

6. (160) Chris Viall, RHP, Mets, Stanford, 2016

6. (174) Tyler Gilbert, LHP, Phillies, USC, 2015

8. (246), Aaron Bates, 1B, Marlins, N.C. State, 2005

10. (283), Casey McGehee, 3B, Cubs, Fresno State, 2003

10. (292) Lauren Gagnier, RHP, Tigers, CS-Fullerton, 2006

10. (299) Shane Carle, RHP, Pirates, Long Beach State, 2013