Cullman graduate Caleb Clay has had a busy five months since being drafted No. 43 overall by the Boston Red Sox in the Major League Baseball draft on June 6.

Clay said his hectic schedule began soon after he was drafted.

“I was drafted on the 6th, and they flew me to Boston on the 9th of June,” Clay said. “They ran me through a number of different tests — drug tests, blood tests and a lot of others — and they then flew me down to Ft. Myers (Fla.) where I was in the Gulf Coast League with the Ft. Myers Red Sox.”

Clay said he was not able to see any action this past season because of nagging injuries, but the coaches in FLorida worked with him every day of the summer until the end of the season in August and thereafter.

“I had some minor things wrong with my arm after we got through playing in Montgomery in the state championship series,” Clay said. “And they wanted me to rest it and let it heal some before I threw in a game.

“I took a month off, then I hurt my elbow again, so they just sat me out for the season.”

While he was hurt, Clay said the coaching staff continued to work with him.

“They worked with me everyday, and even though I couldn’t do as much because of the injury, I can tell I am getting better,” Clay said.

Clay said his teaching in Florida is different from what he was taught in Cullman.

“It’s totally different from last year,” Clay said. “From workouts to everything else is so much different.

“There is no pulling hard for your teammates, because winning and losing is not the highest priority at this level. It is the coaches’ responsibility to make us better for the organization not to win games.”

Clay said his prospects for next year are looking positive, as he should move up in the Red Sox’ system.

“Unless something happens, I should be with the Low A team in Greenville, S.C., next year,” Clay said. “I am off until February.”

While Clay has plenty of time off, he said he is not going to spend that time doing nothing. He is actually going to be helping the next generation of baseball players in Cullman coming up.

“After the season ended, we had a couple of instructional camps, and I got to meet (Red Sox manager Terry) Francona and (Red Sox general manager Theo) Epstein,” Clay said. “Then we went to American Sports Medicine Institute in Birmingham to do some work with my mechanics.

“When I came home, I took a couple of weeks off to rest a little bit, but now I am helping out Brent (Bowen) at Triple Play Sports Academy with baseball lessons.”

Clay, who began playing baseball when he was 4 years old, said he wants to do what he can to help the younger generation improve their game.

“When I was growing up, we didn’t have anything like Triple Play, and it has already proven to help Cullman baseball a lot in the short time it has been open,” Clay said. “I’m looking forward to being here and helping out for the next few months working with the kids here.

“They’re fun to work with, and it kind of helps me keep my timing and everything down for when I report in February.”

Clay said he is available for lessons for younger players in the area, and parents can call TPSA to get more information.