by Mike Schnitzel
Larsen reported to Idaho Falls on Thursday and will live there at a Marriot Hotel, where the team will put him up until the end of the season. He will be starting in center field immediately, and is excited about his prospects.
"I'm more curious than nervous," he said "I'm curious to see what's around the corner, and I'm just excited to get my foot in the door."
He was surprised when his name was called by the Royals in the draft. "The Royals came as a shock to me because several teams had contacted me verbally, and the Royals weren't one of them," Larsen said.
Larsen expects to spend his first season with Idaho Falls, and after reporting to spring training, be assigned to high-A Burlington in Iowa. When asked how he felt about his prospects for playing in the major leagues, he replied, "I think they're better in this organization than in other organization. They're a young, inexperienced team and they're looking to rebuild through their draft."
Larsen will be returning to Stony Brook University in the fall to finish up work on his business degree. "I'm about 12 credits shy of my business degree, so if this doesn't work out, I'd probably do something in the business field," he said.
During the four years Larsen played center field for the Seawolves, he helped them win an America East Championship in 2004, and garnered several individual honors, including Team MVP and second team All-Northeast Regional in 2004, and America East All-Championship Team member in 2003 and 2004.
"He was a pretty complete player at our level," said Matt Senk, Stony Brook baseball head coach. "I thought he had an outside chance [of being drafted] as a junior, and with the way scouts had interest in him in his senior year, I wasn't surprised he was drafted."
Larsen was a star player at Valley Stream Central from 1997 to 2001, during which time the Eagles made the county finals (2000) and county semifinals (2001).
"He's the best player I ever coached at Central," said Rich Adams, Central's athletic director and baseball coach. "He's a multi-tool player. He has a tremendous outfield arm, good bat speed, he can hit for power and average, and he loves the game."
In 2001, Larsen was voted the Diamond Award winner as the best player in Nassau County and won the Nassau County Most valuable Player award. He holds Central's record for most games played with 90, and Central's single season record for runs batted in with 46 in 2000. He is one of 10 players from Central who have signed deals with professional teams, the last being Tommy Caputo, who played for the Long Island Ducks of the Atlantic League, from 2002 to 2004.
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