Former Erie and Faith Christian standout David Bote is a Chicago Cubs draft pick. He just might not know it yet.
The Cubs selected Bote, the son of former longtime Niwot coach Bob Bote, in the 18th round of Major League Baseball’s first-year player draft on Wednesday morning.
But the 5-foot-11, 170-pound shortstop from Neosho County Community College in Kansas was landing in Kenya at the time on a mission trip with a church group.
“We haven’t even been able to talk to him yet,” said Bob Bote, now an assistant for his oldest son Danny Bote at Faith Christian. “I don’t think he even knows.
“It’s exciting.”
David Bote helped lead Erie to a Class 3A final four appearance as a freshman in 2008 before transferring to Faith Christian where he capped his prep careeer with a 3A state title in 2011. But he kept his Boulder County ties going in the summers, playing for Boulder High’s American Legion teams and a hybrid Boulder-Faith Christian Legion team last summer.
After originally signing with Liberty University in Virginia, Bote transferred after a semester. He led Neosho County with a .420 batting average this spring as Panthers advanced to the Junior College World Series in Grand Junction where he was named to the All-Tournament team.
Bob Bote, who led Niwot to five 4A state titles in the 1990s and 2000s and Erie to the final four in 2008, said he didn’t know yet if his son would go pro or stay in college. Bob Bote said if the money was right the family might have to consider the pro option, but that he also liked the idea of his son getting on with a Division-I college program if he can turn in another solid spring next year at Neosho.
Bote is the second player with Boulder County ties drafted by the Cubs this week. Pierce Johnson, a 2009 Faith Christian grad who played for the Boulder County Tigers Legion team under Bob Bote in 2008, was selected 43rd overall on Monday out of Missouri State.
Follow Josh on Twitter: @JoshLindenstein
