Central graduate Cavaness to sign with Minnesota Twins organization

It may not have transpired the way Christian Cavaness expected, but the former Central standout can recognize a dream coming to fruition.

After garnering some attention during an impressive summer stint in Bend, Oregon, Cavaness agreed to terms on a deal last week with the Minnesota Twins and will be assigned to the organization's Rookie League Gulf Coast League affiliate in Fort Myers, Florida, becoming the first baseball player from Lindenwood-Belleville University to sign a professional contract.

"Whether it happens the way I wanted it to happen or a different way, I'm happy with it," Cavaness said. "I'm happy I'm getting this opportunity, especially with an organization like this. ... It's totally worked out better than I could have expected it to at this point."

Cavaness, who plays center field, was selected to the West Coast League All-Star Game after batting .322 with 17 RBIs and a team-leading 146 at-bats and 37 runs scored this summer with the Bend Elks. He agreed to terms last Monday, which forced him to miss the All-Star game. Cavaness headed to Florida on Thursday and said he's been in and out of doctors' appointments since arriving.

He expects to officially sign his minor-league contract today before taking a few more days to settle in and familiarize himself with his new teammates.

The Elks' coaching staff provided the exposure, according to Cavaness.

"They had [the scout] come and put me through a little bit of a private workout type of thing. Pretty much all the credit goes to the Bend Elks, the front office and the coaching staff, for getting the guy to come out there and look at me," Cavaness said. "They said he'd watched a couple games before and was interested, so I guess it all kind of came together."

Cavaness, a 2012 graduate of Central, said he was initially skeptical of receiving an immediate offer, but that changed as the organization continued to show interest.

"As we started talking every day pretty much, I got the sense that this could happen this year or in the next couple of days. That's how it happened," Cavaness said. "When I got the offer, I talked to my parents and talked to former coaches to just see what they thought about it and if it was the best option to take. After talking to everybody, I figured this is what I've always wanted to do.

"I can't pass this up now. I've got to take what I'm given because you never know if it's going to be there next year or not."

A rising senior at Lindenwood, Cavaness said he anticipated joining the Lynx next season but couldn't pass on the opportunity.

"Overall, I'd say it was a pretty easy, clear-cut decision," he said. "This is what I should do since it's what I've always wanted to do."

An impressive junior campaign was another staple on Cavaness' college resume. He was one of two Lindenwood players to appear in all 53 games as a junior and led the team in batting average (.395), hits (66), runs scored (64), triples (10), home runs (11), total bases (129), RBIs (48), walks (33) and stolen bases (23).

He said he enjoyed his three years with the Lynx and hopes to return and finish school whenever he's able to focus on it completely.

"I wouldn't change anything about going there," said Cavaness, who earned first-team All-American Midwest Conference and National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics All-American honors last season. "I loved it there, and I loved all the guys there. I made lifelong friends, and I know when I go back this fall to just see all the guys and work out with them, it's going to be perfect. ... I'm ready to go back and see those guys and just thank them, show them how much I appreciate them helping me get to where I'm at."

Cavaness, who is left-handed, said the biggest improvement to his game has been perfecting his swing, which he mostly credits to his coaches at Lindenwood.

"Them working with me on perfecting the timing aspect was big, along with just getting swings in every day and just seeing the pitching. All the credit goes to them for getting my swing down," Cavaness said. "Going out this summer and just having different people telling me the same things just kind of makes those points more valid. If everybody's telling you the same thing, you know it's got to work."

It'll undoubtedly be a different moment for Cavaness when he takes the field for the first time with the GCL Twins, but he said he looks forward to devoting himself to the "first step of that final process."

"Honestly, the first couple at-bats, I'm just going to be happy to be there," Cavaness said. "I'm not necessarily going to want to focus on the results or anything. Sure, I want to get a hit or score a run, but finally having the satisfaction of actually making it to that level is going to be better than any of the results that come out of it.

"Those first couple at-bats in those first couple of games, I'm just going to be like a little kid out there playing his first little-league game again. It's just going to be all fun, and I'm going to enjoy every minute of it, no matter if I have the greatest success or no success in the first couple of games."