By MATT SCHUCKMAN
Herald-Whig Sports Writer

At the very moment Kevin Childs sent the text message, Canton, Mo., had to seem a million miles away.

And those worries over a troublesome elbow?

They were long gone, too.

Childs, a former Culver-Stockton College relief pitcher, was sitting in the trainer's room at the Los Angeles Dodgers' spring training complex in Glendale, Ariz., when he grabbed his phone and shot C-SC coach Chris Terry an update.

"He was in the training room with Jason Schmidt," Terry said.

That's how life changes in a week.

One day, you have to drive 20 minutes and cross state lines just to get a cheeseburger from a fast food restaurant. The next, you're sitting on a trainer's table getting tended to along with a former all-star pitcher who signed a $47 million contract just two years ago.

That's what a 90 mph fastball does for you.

At least, that's what it did for Childs.

Last week, the Dodgers selected Childs in the 36th round of the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft. He was the 1,087th pick overall and the third C-SC player since 2000 to be drafted.

But unlike his predecessors -- pitcher Jose Tadeo and shortstop Erick Contreras -- Childs didn't have the chance to showcase his raw ability until it was nearly too late.

"People knew he was there, people wanted to see him throw," Terry said. "There were questions about what was going on with him, what he was doing. But we got the word out to the guys who wanted to see him throw once he was able to do so."

When your fastball tops out at 96 or 97 mph, it's never too late.

Childs, 6-foot-3, 175-pound righty from Stockton, Calif., came to C-SC last year from Delta Junior College, and by the end of the fall, he was experiencing some stiffness in his elbow. An MRI wasn't conclusive, but doctors believed he had suffered a partial tear of an elbow ligament.

"They were saying there was a possibility of Tommy John surgery," Terry said.

Before that was to happen, Childs saw an orthopedic specialist who scheduled a second MRI. This one was more clear and showed little ligament
damage and certainly no tear. Rehabilitation and therapy were ordered and Childs was on pace to get back by
midseason.

On March 30, at nationally-ranked Lindenwood, Childs took the mound for the first time, earning the save in a 4-3 victory as he pitched the ninth inning.

He went on to appear in nine games, tossing 8 1/3 innings in which he compiled a 2.16 earned-run average with 10 strikeouts, six walks and five hit batters. Opponents hit just .194 against him.

"He has that kind of professional arm," Terry said. "Unfortunately, we didn't see him as much as we wanted."

Scouts somehow saw enough.

Childs had been targeted coming out of Delta Junior College as a potential draftee, but his wildness gave teams pause.

"He didn't see the strike zone as much as he needed to," Terry said.

But there was no denying he had the natural talent of a big league pitcher.

"He's got a big-time arm," Terry said. "Had he thrown more this season, he would have gone a lot higher in the draft."

As it was, several teams still had interest.

"Word kind of gets around when you have a guy who throws like that," Terry said.

Scouts from the Royals, Nationals and Dodgers all watched him work out and were impressed by the fact he consistently popped 90 or 91 mph on the radar gun. It made him a viable late-round selection.

It's up to him to take advantage of that.

"As much as he developed this year with us, he's only going to get better," Terry said. "He has the work ethic to do it."

And a fastball that can't be ignored.

-- mschuckman@whig.com/221-3366