Catching is in Robbie Perkins' blood - his father was a catcher and so was his brother.
Now he has a shot at being part of the biggest league in the world, after he was signed by the Major League Baseball club Colorado Rockies for 2013, for a fee believed to be about $50,000. The figure is a far cry from the $400,000 sign-on fee which Melbourne Aces pitcher Daniel McGrath received this week from the Boston Red Sox, but the pair of 17-year-olds will both start their careers in the US at spring training next year.
Perkins can draw on the experience of older brother Kyle, who was signed by the New York Yankees in 2008, but released after the 2010 season. Kyle, who played for the Canberra Cavalry this season, has since transformed into a pitcher in a bid to return to the US.
The brothers have already talked about what the younger sibling will need to do to avoid Kyle's fate.
''[He told me to] never give up, you've just got to keep working hard no matter how hard the situation is,'' Robbie said.
It's mostly Aussie pitchers that make it to the MLB, but arguably Australia's greatest export was a catcher.
Dave Nilsson caught for the Milwaukee Brewers from 1992-99, with an All Star appearance in his final year.
He's the only Australian to have played in an All Star game.
But Perkins knew nothing of Nilsson's legacy until he met him in person.
''When I was younger I didn't really know about him, I only found out about him [when I met him] a few years ago,'' Perkins said.
''I knew he was a player and then he told us about his career and what to expect, that's when I really started looking at him and seeing how he went.''
Perkins will continue to play for the Woden Rebels in ACT Baseball first grade while he completes Year12.
He'll have a whole year to contemplate what's in store for him in 2013.
But rather than spend the next 12 months dreaming of his chance to play in the US, he plans to knuckle down and finish school.
Perkins will also represent Australia at the under-18 Baseball World Championships in Seoul, Korea, at the end of August.
Then he will report for Rockies spring training in February 2013, where he'll likely start out in the minor leagues.
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