2017 was a big year for 21-year-old baseball player Pavin Smith. He was chosen by the Arizona Diamondbacks to join their team as a first baseman, making his dream of playing Major League Baseball come true.
His dream of playing baseball also came with a big payday, as the Diamondbacks wrote him a check for over $5 million.
Pavin deposited that check in the bank, and then surprised his parents at Christmas by paying off their mortgage.
The generous gift was in appreciation for all the sacrifices they made to get him where he is today. At 21 years old -- and a millionaire -- Pavin realizes he couldn’t have gotten there alone -- and wanted to make sure his parents knew just how thankful he is.