Halpin takes advantage of opportunity

And then the coronavirus pandemic hit, canceling the remainder of the baseball season. The school year culminated in what was the busiest week of his life this week, with Halpin going through class finals and graduating Thursday night.

Squeezed between those activities was the 2020 Major League Baseball Draft Thursday afternoon, one that was shortened to just five rounds, instead of the usual 40, because of the pandemic.

While a large number of potential professional players were left waiting to sign free-agent contracts, Halpin will not be one of them as the Cleveland Indians selected the 6-foot, 180-pound outfielder in the third round with the 95th pick of the 160-pick draft.

“Surreal,” Halpin said when he heard his name called by the MLB Network’s Matt Vasgersian.

“I was skeptical. There were so many great players in high school and college. I had some hope (my name would be called),” Halpin continued. “[My advisors] had an idea, but for the most part, since this draft was so different … I really couldn’t bank on anything.”

After watching Day 2 of the draft Thursday afternoon and hearing his named called in the third round, he hustled down to the pier at Hermosa Beach for a graduation procession down the beach to the Manhattan Beach pier.

The news preceded him.

“[My classmates] went insane (when I got to the ceremony),” Halpin said. “[Many] were watching it (the draft) and I got flooded with calls and texts.”

Halpin was a baseball star at an early age. In 2015, he was the leader for the San Mateo American Majors All-Star team that captured the program’s first District 52 championship in 35 years.

In 2017, Halpin was a member of USA Baseball’s U15 national team, playing in the Pan Am games and earning honors as the tournament’s best left fielder.

Despite those early successes, a future in baseball was not guaranteed. He spent his first three years of high school at Northern California power St. Francis where a player has to be an absolute stud to really standout.

Going into last summer, some of Halpin’s shine had dimmed. He was left off the rosters of a pair of high-profile showcase events, which after initial disappointment, turned into motivation.

“It gave me a chip on my shoulder to go out and work harder and prove myself,” Halpin said.

He got that opportunity when he was invited to the first-annual Prospect Development Pipeline League — a summer camp of the top-80 high school baseball prospects, run by MLB, for three weeks in Florida. The players were given instruction by some of the biggest names in MLB history — including the likes of Derek Jeter, Chipper Jones and Ryan Howard — and after workouts and training, the players were broken up into four teams for what were essentially all-star games.

It was at PDP that Halpin regained the spotlight.

“There was no way I was going down there and not doing everything I could,” Halpin said. “I was out of it a little bit going into the summer, but PDP helped me stay on track. They definitely got me going.

“I’ve never faced that many great pitchers three weeks in a row.”

That jolt of confidence carried into his lone season at Mira Costa, where despite seeing the regular season shutdown after eight games, Halpin managed to get 30 other games under his belt through fall and winter ball — which is not allowed in the Central Coast Section.

“Luckily, we got to play all fall and all winter. Got 38 games in before coronavirus changed our lives,” Halpin said.

While he has now been drafted, Halpin still has a weighty decision to make, choosing between college and pro ball. If he chooses University of Texas, one of the best programs in the country where Halpin has already signed a national-letter-of-intent, he’ll have to wait three more years to re-enter the draft.

Or he starts his pro career now.

“It’s definitely another decision I have to make and think everything over with my family,” Halpin said. “It’s a win-win situation. Regardless, I couldn’t be happier with whatever [decision I make].”