The dream is finally a reality for Hilo’s Kodi Medeiros.
After taking much longer than originally expected, Medeiros finally inked his name on a contract Saturday with the Milwaukee Brewers, who made the left-hander the No. 12 overall pick in the MLB draft earlier this month.
The Waiakea High graduate will receive a signing bonus of $2.5 million, with another $240,000 added for four years of college at Pepperdine, where he signed in the fall.
Medeiros and his family were scheduled to return home to Hawaii on Sunday after spending 19 days on the mainland.
"As a parent, when you see your child’s dreams come true, it’s just so special," Kodi’s father, Robert, said on Saturday. "It’s been an amazing, amazing experience. I think my wife and I and our whole family have just kind have been overwhelmed. Everyone we talk to, we still kind of tear up."
Medeiros arrived in Milwaukee on Thursday and spent part of Friday getting cleared medically. He put pen to paper on Saturday and attended the Brewers’ game against the Cincinnati Reds.
On Friday, Medeiros met with a group of Hall of Famers, including Hank Aaron, as well as commissioner Bud Selig.
"He’s had quite the experience, but he’s been handling it very well," Robert Medeiros said. "He’s a really good kid and very humble kid and has taken his time with everything. We’re so proud of how he’s handled the process."
Robert expected Kodi to get about a week to spend at home on the Big Island before reporting to Arizona.
Medeiros is one of seven first-round draft picks to graduate from a Hawaii high school. He’s the highest draft pick ever to sign without going to college and received the second-highest signing bonus, trailing only Punahou and Stanford alum Justin Wayne’s $2,950,000 as the fifth overall pick in 2000.
Medeiros is the second first-round pick from the Big Island in the past four years, joining Kamehameha-Hawaii alum Kolten Wong, who signed for a $1.3 million bonus with the St. Louis Cardinals as 2011’s No. 22 pick.
