Mokma Signs With Marlins Just Before Deadline

Christopher Mokma RHP / 1B / Holland Christian, MI / 2019

JUPITER, Fla. - With the Major League Baseball Draft signing deadline approaching, Chris Mokma received the long-awaited phone call that would affect the rest of his life.

“I had to wait until the last five minutes when I got the call,” explained Mokma.

When deals with Miami Marlins’ first-round pick JJ Bleday and supplemental first-round pick Kameron Misner were finalized prior to the 5 p.m. deadline on Friday, the amount of money needed remained for Mokma 

“It was a surreal feeling,” explained the recent Holland Christian graduate. “On Friday I’m at the Marlins’ game and I met the team president and I met Derek Jeter. They treated me like I was one of their own. It was unbelievable. Now I’m going to be playing against the best in the world.”

It will start in Jupiter, Fla., where the Michigan Player of the Year will be a member of the Gulf Coast League Marlins.

“I’ll spend the summer in Jupiter getting acclimated to pro life,” the 6-5 190-pound right-handed pitcher said. “I’ll get used to working out and playing every day. Then next year they will assign me somewhere else.”

Getting to this point was a thrill for the 351st player selected in the MLB June draft..

“I was getting ready for my high school game when my name popped up,” Mokma reflected. “My dad (Scott) was with me and we had draft tracker on. Then I got a call two minutes later.

“There was a ton of excitement. We gave each other hugs. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime thing … what an amazing feeling.”