Anthony Scirrotto was golfing alone in Charlotte, about to tee off, when his phone rang.

He wasn't expecting the disturbance -- the call from the Kansas City Royals letting him know they drafted him in the 50th and final round of the Major League Baseball draft on June 11. Then again, he knew J.J. Picollo, the Royals' assistant general manager for scouting/player development, was targeting athletes in other sports with baseball backgrounds as late-round picks.

As for the tee shot?

"I botched it," Scirrotto said of his approach on the Par 3. "I hit a bad shot, missed the green."

Scirrotto's been relaxing since returning from organized team activities (OTAs) with the Panthers. The former Penn State safety has been hitting the links with teammates Ryne Robinson and Tony Fiammetta or going crabbing with his girlfriend and family.

He reports to training camp with the NFL's Carolina Panthers in late July, with camp starting Aug. 2 at Wofford College. There, he'll try to latch on and earn one of 80 roster spots.

But if the NFL proves too challenging a career, and he gets cut, he has plan B: A pro baseball career.

Scirrotto said he'll sign the Royals' conract by the Aug. 17 deadline, but if he doesn't make the Panthers, he still wants to play in the NFL.

"I'm still trying to establish a career in football," Scirrotto said. "And Kansas City understands that. Before that whole thing started, it's just, 'We're just interested. This is nothing more than a backup plan for you.' "

Scirrotto's former West Deptford High School baseball coach, Sean McKenna, grew up on the diamond with Picollo and the Royals' scout guru's mother taught McKenna high school English, too.

Picollo told his area scout, Casey Fahy, to check out Scirrotto in May. Apparently, the range of athleticism he possessed on the high school diamond hadn't left him.

McKenna said Scirrotto was a second-to-fifth round projection coming out of high school in 2004. Early second-round picks earned close to $1 million at the time.

"They loved his athletic ability," McKenna said about Scirrotto's high school skills. "Some scouts liked him as a shortstop, second baseman. I remember taking him to workouts with the Reds and Marlins going into his junior year. A couple scouts threw him behind the plate. He out threw all the kids there."

Scirrotto, drafted as a shortstop, was also the closer for West Deptford. During his junior year, Scirrotto went to a Philadelphia Phillies game and tested his arm in a speed pitch machine. Without warming up, his first pitch hit 90 on the gun.

"He's one of these athletes that come along once in a lifetime," said McKenna, now a detective in West Deptford and the godfather of Scirrotto's younger brother Dominic. "He wrestled one year, went undefeated. I think he pinned every kid he ever wrestled. He grew up three doors from my house. He's one of those freak kids."

Scirrotto signed a three-year deal with Carolina and is scheduled to earn $310,000 the first year, $385,000 the second and $490,000 the third.

"The decisions I made coming out of high school were beneficial," Scirrotto said. "I was getting my degree, and the money sounds great when you're young. When you weigh the pros and cons and look at the larger picture, the scholarship's worth a lot of money too."

Big-time baseball schools Georgia Tech and Stanford offered him dual scholarships to wear the pads in the fall and the spikes in the spring.

But Penn State had something no other school had, and once it made him a football offer, Scirrotto's mind was made up.

"He wouldn't give back a million dollars to play for Joe Paterno," McKenna said.

Scirrotto hasn't played organized baseball for five years, and picking up on big league pitching is about the only thing that concerns him about a possible return to the batter's box -- along with using a wooden bat for the first time.

On the gridiron, Scirrotto hasn't seen much difference in play than the college

"I don't think the speed and physical part of the game is much different than college," Scirrotto said. "Mentally, it's a whole 'nother level. Understanding every position on defense, knowing all the checks for run coverage. We were pretty basic at Penn State."

Even if Scirrotto doesn't last in the NFL, he has no regrets prolonging a potential appearance in a big league ballpark.

No matter the sport he chooses, his position will likely be abbreviated SS. And he's hoping that'll mean strong safety.

"I take everything as a blessing and go with the flow," Scirrotto said. "I know what I want in my heart and that's play football as long as I can."