Former Benton Panther and Arkansas Razorback Peyton Pallette throws a pitch during the 2021 season before having Tommy John surgery and missing this past season. The Chicago White Sox picked Pallette with the 62nd overall pick in the second round of the Major League Baseball Draft and signed him on Thursday.
Courier file photo
BENTON — Baseball talent in Benton has been growing for decades. Earlier this week the accolades grew as well when former Panther Peyton Pallette was selected by Cleveland in the Major League Baseball Rule 5 Draft.
“I found out about the Rule 5 about halfway through this past season,” Pallette said. “I didn’t have much expectation because I really didn’t understand how it all worked. I try to stay out of it as much as I can and just play the game and keep it simple.”
A few days prior to the recent draft Pallette’s agent called and said a couple of teams had reached out to the Chicago White Sox inquiring about the Benton graduate.
“He said ‘expect to get taken’ because there is a pretty good shot,” Pallette added. “Draft day rolled around and Cleveland selected me.”
Pallette took his talents from Benton to Fayetteville when he joined the Hogs in 2020. From there he worked hard to prepare for a professional career.
In 2022, Pallette was selected by the White Sox in the second round of the MLB Draft with the 62nd overall pick.
Since being drafted, Pallette has played in all three levels of the minor leagues, most recently with Charlotte at Triple-A.
With the selection of the Rule 5 Draft, Pallette moves to Cleveland’s 40-man major league roster for the time being, making him the second Panther to hold a spot on a MLB roster. Cy Young winner Cliff Lee is the only other Benton graduate to play on a major league team.
“It is surreal,” Pallette said. “At the end of the day it is still baseball, but it is still a dream. We chase it. You still have to go into it with the same expectation of I am going to do my best, trust in God’s plan and go out there and compete.”
Despite now being a player in the major leagues, Pallette said his childhood was not filled with sports.
“I didn’t really watch sports a whole lot. I didn’t have a team,” he added. “My first time at the University of Arkansas was not until the eighth or ninth grade when my dad took me to a baseball game. For me it’s just the constant grind and staying in the weight room and on top of diet and chasing something that gives you a lot of confidence in yourself. You can learn so much about yourself in this game even though you have been doing it so long.”
Having played in the minors for a few seasons now, Pallette said his time there has taught him a lot about the game, but also about life.
“Getting older and getting out of college, being on my own a little bit and getting married just over a year ago you realize baseball is such a small part of your life, even though to the outside world that’s all they think I care about,” Pallette said. “I’ve been learning how to deal with the ups and downs of baseball and ins and outs of life, really just growing in myself and trusting God’s plan. You have to earn it. No matter what round you are picked. Everything is a process.”
Pallette added that while his success is great, his message to young athletes is to know that you do not have to be the biggest, strongest or fastest player to make it big.
“It doesn’t always have to be how big you are or how fast you are. It’s about your heart,” Pallette said. “How much you really care about it and how much you are going to put the time into it. Trusting God’s plan is the biggest thing. Keep your head down and focused. Good things will happen to you.”
Pallette joins the ranks of some of the game’s greatest athletes with his Rule 5 selection, including Christy Mathewson, Roberto Clemente, Josh Hamilton and Johan Santana to name a few.