DENVER, Colorado — As he sat on his living room couch watching the MLB Draft last week with his parents, sister and girlfriend, Davis Palermo couldn’t help but think about how far he’d come in such a short time.
During his first three seasons of collegiate baseball at UNC-Chapel Hill, Palermo tossed only 26 ⅔ innings. But his confidence grew toward the end of the 2021 season, which translated into a dominant full year out of the Tar Heels’ bullpen this past year. The 2018 Northwood graduate finished with a 2.72 ERA and 74 strikeouts in 58 ⅓ innings pitched.
That performance was enough to garner him third-team All-American honors from Perfect Game USA.
It also caught the attention of MLB scouts.
So when the Colorado Rockies called Palermo before their eighth round pick on July 18, he was at a loss for words.
“It was pretty unbelievable,” Palermo, who was selected at No. 236 overall, said. “It’s just a pretty crazy thing to think about. It took a little bit to settle in.
“You can go back year after year,” he continued. “Even last year at this time, I would’ve said you were crazy. My freshman year, I would’ve said you were even more crazy. It’s just unreal that this is happening from where I was.”
Palermo said that he’d talked with Rockies scouts prior to the Draft, but hadn’t thought of Colorado to be at the forefront of teams interested in him. The Rockies didn’t specifically mention to Palermo what they liked about his game, but his season performance speaks for itself.
“Even talking to them the past week, (Colorado) really seems to know what they’re doing,” Palermo said. “They seem to have a great feel for pitching. It’s in a great spot. All the affiliates, too, are in great spots. It seems like a great organization and I’m excited to be a part of it.”
While Palermo had the option to return to school for another year, he’s already made up his mind. The 22-year-old flew out to Arizona on Sunday to sign his contract and undergo a physical before being given his first assignment as a pro.
“It’s always tough especially with how awesome UNC has been to me and how great my experience was there,” Palermo said. “It’s always tough to say ‘bye’ to that and move on. It was just the right time for me.”
Palermo wasn’t a major prospect for much of his career. Colleges didn’t start recruiting him until his junior year of high school, even as he shined as a starting pitcher for coach Thomas Parks at Northwood. Wanting to use Palermo as much as he could, Parks pushed him into the bullpen for his senior campaign.
That decision translated well for college. Palermo improved every season and was primarily used in relief, where his 94-97 mph fastball and newly developed slider caught hitters off balance in 2022.
Growing up less than 15 minutes from the campus of UNC, Palermo idolized Tar Heel baseball stars Dustin Ackley, Alex White and Kyle Seager. He attended games regularly and revered the 2007 team that went 57-16. Ackley and White were drafted in the first round of the 2009 MLB Draft and Seager went in the third.
Palermo always wanted to be like them.
Now he’s getting his shot.