Former Duke baseball pitcher [autotag]Jonathan Santucci[/autotag] is, finally and officially, an MLB player.
According to MLB Pipeline’s Jim Callis, Santucci signed with the New York Mets for a little more than $2 million on Saturday night. The contract rewarded the former Blue Devil with full slot value for his status as the 46th overall pick in this month’s MLB draft.
Callis even offered his own small scouting thoughts on the Duke lefty during his report.
“(Intriguing) three-pitch mix (92-96 mph fastball w/carry, low-80s slider w/two-plane break, mid-80s changeup w/fade),” Callis wrote. “(Needs) to throw more strikes & has the athleticism to do so.”
Santucci, the first of five Duke pitchers drafted this month, validated his status as a preseason All-American candidate with an All-ACC season on the mound. He finished with a 3.41 ERA and a 6-1 record in 13 starts, striking out 90 batters in 58.0 innings. He only gave up an opposing batting average of .188, and he didn’t allow a run in five of his appearances.
2nd-rder Jonathan Santucci signs w/@Mets for $2,031,700 (full slot 46 value). @DukeBASE LHP, intriguing three-pitch mix (92-96 mph fastball w/carry, low-80s slider w/two-plane break, mid-80s changeup w/fade), needs to throw more strikes & has the athleticism to do so. @MLBDraft pic.twitter.com/vyDaxoML0E
— Jim Callis (@jimcallisMLB) July 21, 2024
Santucci missed time with a rib injury late in the season, but he returned to the hill during regional action and shouldn’t be affected at the next level.