High School and College
Michaels attended Jesuit High School in Tampa which also produced major leaguers Lou Piniella, Dave Magadan and Brad Radke. He hit over .400 in each of three years for Jesuit. After high school graduation, Michaels was selected in the 49th round of the June 1994 amateur draft by San Diego. He chose not to sign with the Padres and instead attended Okaloosa-Walton Community College in Niceville, Florida where he hit .421 with 9 home runs and 45 RBI and was named Panhandle Conference Player of the Year in 1996.
The Tampa Bay Devil Rays selected him in the 44th round of the 1996 amateur draft, but he again opted not to sign and attended the University of Miami. He lettered in baseball for the Hurricanes in both 1997 and 1998 and was a teammate of San Francisco Giants left fielder Pat Burrell and first baseman Aubrey Huff. In two seasons at Miami, he hit .396 (3rd highest in school history) with 34 home runs (10th) and 154 RBI. In 1997, he set Hurricane single-season records for hits (106), doubles (32) and total bases (189). The St. Louis Cardinals selected him in the 15th round of the 1997 amateur draft, but once again, Michaels did not sign a contract, returning to Miami for his final year of eligibility.
In June 1998, Michaels was selected for the fourth time in the baseball amateur draft, this time by the Phillies in the 4th round. He signed his first professional contract June 19, 1998.
Jason was inducted into the University of Miami Sports Hall of Fame as part of its Class of 2010 ! The ceremony was held prior to the Hurricanes home baseball opener on Friday, Feb. 19th against Rutgers at Alex Rodriquez Park at Mark Light Field on the Coral Gables campus.
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Famous quotes containing the words high, school and/or college:
“I think it’s one of the scars in our culture that we have too high an opinion of ourselves. We align ourselves with the angels instead of the higher primates.”
—Angela Carter (1940–1992)
“Today, only a fool would offer herself as the singular role model for the Good Mother. Most of us know not to tempt the fates. The moment I felt sure I had everything under control would invariably be the moment right before the principal called to report that one of my sons had just driven somebody’s motorcycle through the high school gymnasium.”
—Mary Kay Blakely (20th century)
“The logical English train a scholar as they train an engineer. Oxford is Greek factory, as Wilton mills weave carpet, and Sheffield grinds steel. They know the use of a tutor, as they know the use of a horse; and they draw the greatest amount of benefit from both. The reading men are kept by hard walking, hard riding, and measured eating and drinking, at the top of their condition, and two days before the examination, do not work but lounge, ride, or run, to be fresh on the college doomsday.”
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)