Red Sox third base prospect Garin Cecchini had a lot going for him as he entered his senior year at Barbe High School in Lake Charles, La. He'd be the first to tell you how "blessed" he has been with a close-knit family and unmistakable talent for his favorite thing: baseball. 

A high school shortstop with ample tools, Cecchini hit .333 with a .529 OBP and  a .708 slugging percentage prior to his senior season while playing for Team USA in Venezuela. His numbers in the eight-game tournament helped him steal the show from the likes of Bryce Harper, who on Monday received a $9.9 million deal from the Nationals as the draft's top pick. As impressive as his accomplishments are, to make it all about Garin would be a disservice to the Cecchinis as a whole. 

Family (father Glenn and mother Raissa are longtime coaches and brother Gavin is considered to be a top prospect in the 2012 MLB draft) and baseball have been intertwined for all of Garin's life. Now 19 years old, the Lousiana native grew up on the baseball diamond watching his father coach Barbe to five state championships with his mother's assistance. As he grew and blossomed into one of the country's elite talents, his following increased to include major league scouts. Despite the attention the infielder got throughout the country, one of his biggest fans from the get go was his grandmother.

The mother of Raissa, Genevieve Prince was just as big a baseball lifer as anyone else in the family and was what Garin called "a great fan" of Barbe, Garin, and Gavin. In fact, she was a regular at Garin's games until her unfortunate passing this year.

On March 1st, Raissa, her husband, and her two sons buried Genevieve, a victim of breast cancer in her late 70's. Genevieve's battle with cancer wasn't limited to one form, however, as her 12-year battle, at times laced with chemotherapy, also included various other types of the disease. The loss was hard on the family, and when Garin tore his ACL just 12 days later, the injury took a backseat to his family's loss in what the infielder called a "rough month."

"She was a wonderful lady," Glenn Cecchini said, adding that Genevieve "went to every game" of Garin's. Coming from Sulphur, La., where Raissa grew up, she traveled about 10 miles east each game to the field where Garin and Gavin grew up.

Surrounded by the game and a committed humanitarian, Garin was familiar with the Jimmy Fund and had taken an interest in its mission. Upon the Red Sox' selection of Cecchini in June's MLB draft, his advisors -- Team Icon's Rob Martin and Matt Cormier, two BC law graduates who know the city well -- filled him in on everything else.

"I knew about the Jimmy Fund, but they brought it even more to my knowing, and they really pushed," Garin said. "I wanted to [get involved] all the time, and they were like, 'Man, this is a great thing [because] your grandma died of cancer.'"

On Monday, Cecchini signed with the Red Sox for $1.31 million dollars and immediately told the team and his agents that he intended to donate a portion of his signing bonus to the Jimmy Fund WEEI/NESN radio telethon.

"I told [my agents], 'Man, I feel like God is calling me to donate money,'" Garin said.

As a result, Martin worked to have a portion of the donations up to $20,000 matched by Garin, good for a $40,000 benefit. 

Though it's a sizable gift coming from someone whose father comically noted does not yet have $20,000, Garin's contributions don't begin with the Jimmy Fund. In high school he could be seen doing community service projects anywhere from seven to 10 times a year. Before he was old enough to steal a base (something he did 55 times as a junior), he was putting his time in with sick children at Shriners Hospital for Children in Shreveport, La.

"He was our bat boy, and when he was four or five years old he would go to Shriners Hospital and see all the kids with serious illnesses. We'd bring baseballs, and share time with the kids," Glenn Cecchini said. "He was always real touched by that."

In more recent years, Garin and his teammates aided the elderly and the poor at Mardi Gras, serving 13,000 meals to the less fortunate. He also helped round up a bunch of used baseball equipment for a local priest to bring to Nicaragua. 

Though he's set to be a guest via phone during the telethon on Friday afternoon, Garin's donation isn't about drawing attention to himself. Instead, it's about drawing attention away from the typical off-the-field news of contract holdouts (Garin himself settled for $440,000 less than his asking price to get a deal done) and selfish conduct.

"I don't really like the attention. I feel like I'm speaking for the whole sports community, not just baseball," Garin said. "I feel like all athletes need to give back. Not just money, but their time to the community. Who comes to the games? It's the fans. 

"We have these talents that are God-given. [We should give back] to those guys that are not as fortunate as us, that weren't given such talents, that were given to be in a wheelchair."

Garin also plans to use his money to benefit more causes. Glenn says his son feels strongly about giving back to his family's priest, who would travel up to 100 miles to say prayers with the team before games. Placing a high priority on presenting himself as a potential role model should he achieve a level of celebrity, Garin is also intent on setting up a scholarship program at his school to be given to athletes who stay out of trouble and are a value to the community.

Given his 4.0 grade point average in school and the fact that he received the "I Dare You" award for his leadership, the scholarship Cecchini has in mind is likely to go to someone who displays the same type of values.

"That's always been my motto and that's how my parents have taught me and thats how Rob Martin taught me and I feel like that's just the way to be," Cecchini said. "That's just how I am."

Cecchini was serious about his commitment to attend LSU in the fall, which is why he was available to the Red Sox in the fourth round despite being one of the draft's top offensive prospects. An aspiring lawyer, Cecchini still vows to get his education but will not do so until after his baseball career, something he says he will focus all his efforts on and hopes will last a long time.  

To begin his career, something he calls a "dream come true," Garin is sticking to the same thing that got him to this point: hitting for a high average, stealing bases, and making a difference wherever he can.