Baseball: Hobgood set to make pro debut on Saturday

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Former Norco pitcher Matt Hobgood, selected No. 5 overall by the Baltimore Orioles in last month’s draft, has been patiently getting into shape and is scheduled to make his minor-league debut Saturday for the Bluefield (W.Va.) Orioles.

Hobgood was in Los Angeles on Wednesday as part of the Gatorade High School Athlete of the Year Awards. Texas-bound quarterback Garrett Gilbert was selected the male athlete of the year, with Notre Dame-bound basketball player Skylar Diggins the female athlete of the year.

But Hobgood was his usual friendly, easy-going self, once again showing why he’s going to be a good professional. He hasn’t changed one bit even though he received a signing bonus of $2.42 million.

Take a look at the video below when he answered some questions following Wednesday’s luncheon.

-- Eric Sondheimer