MIAMI – A month ago, Kyle Skipworth was playing high school baseball in California. On Wednesday, not long after becoming a millionaire, he buttoned a Florida Marlins jersey with his name stitched on the back.

“I wouldn't say it's overwhelming,” Skipworth said. “I'd say it's very surreal.”

No, it's indeed the 18-year-old's new reality.

The Marlins signed Skipworth on Wednesday, getting their first-round draft pick to agree to a signing bonus of about $2.3 million. The catcher batted .543 with 13 home runs and 47 RBIs in 30 games this spring for Patriot High in Riverside, Calif., earning Gatorade high school player of the year honors.

Florida also recalled right-hander Eulogio De La Cruz from Triple-A Albuquerque, filling the spot created when reliever Matt Lindstrom was sent to the Isotopes.

Skipworth, the No. 6 overall pick in this year's draft, becomes a full-fledged pro Thursday, when he reports to the Marlins' Gulf Coast League affiliate in Jupiter, Fla.

“There's definitely days when I'd wake up and say, 'Is this really happening to me?'” Skipworth said. “I always told myself if I worked hard, I could put myself in this situation. I worked hard, I was blessed, hopefully I performed in the right situations and in front of the right people, which I believe I have. It all kind of clicked and I couldn't be happier.”

With his parents, sister and nephew watching and beaming near the top step of the Marlins' dugout, the left-handed-batting Skipworth took the field with the big-league club for pregame stretching Wednesday before Florida hosted the Tampa Bay Rays. He was greeted by applause from most of the players, then took a seat next to Luis Gonzalez for some limbering exercises.

It was an odd pairing; Gonzalez got his first major league hit when Skipworth was 6 months old.

“Again, I'd have to say this is surreal,” said Skipworth, who set a California record with 18 straight hits this spring.

Skipworth has only been catching for about a year, but the Marlins believe he has the tools to be a mainstay behind the plate.

“From a major league point of view, finding catching, period, is difficult,” Marlins general manager Larry Beinfest said. “To find high-top-end catching, left-handed-hitting catching, is very difficult. This was an important draft for us. There was a very excited room when Kyle was there at No. 6.”

Skipworth said he hoped all along that a deal would get done quickly, and the Marlins were more than happy to oblige.

“We are especially pleased that we were able to get a deal done with Kyle in a timely manner,” Marlins vice president of scouting Jim Fleming said. “Kyle is an immense talent and we look forward to getting him started in our system.”

De La Cruz will be used primarily as the Marlins' long reliever, manager Fredi Gonzalez said.

He made an emergency start for Florida on May 25 against San Francisco, allowing two hits and two runs in three innings. De La Cruz's only other major league experience came last season, when he appeared in six games as a reliever for Detroit.