Tag: 2021 MLB draft

Multiple Alabama baseball players selected in 2021 MLB draft

From Tuscaloosa to the MLB!

The Alabama Crimson Tide baseball team saw four star players selected in the 2021 MLB draft, all players going to different teams.

Just because they were drafted doesn’t mean they are guaranteed to sign with the organization, but it is very likely Alabama fans can say goodbye to these four.

The MLB draft can sometimes be overlooked, even by baseball fans, because players go into hiding within the organization’s minor league teams for a few seasons before getting an invite to the majors. However, these guys could soon join the nine other active MLB players that once called Alabama their home.

The first Crimson Tide player drafted was second baseman Peyton Wilson in the second round with pick No. 66 overall to the Kansas City Royals.

In Round 3 with pick No. 74, the Detroit Tigers selected right-handed pitcher Dylan Smith.

Then, three rounds later in the sixth, with pick No. 164, the Texas Rangers selected right-handed pitcher Chase Lee.

Most recently, in Round 6 with pick No. 179, the Miami Marlins selected catcher Sam Praytor.

Roll Tide Wire will update this post as more players are selected in the 2021 MLB draft.

Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Alabama news, notes and opinion.

New York Mets grab Christian Scott in 5th round of MLB draft

The early-round call came a bit contrary to his MLB Pipeline rankings entering the draft, notched as the No. 228 prospect this year.

Day 2 of Major League Baseball’s amateur draft has been a busy one for the Florida baseball program, with a few current Gators already off the board and several more expected to be selected. After catcher Nathan Hickey was taken by the Boston Red Sox in the fifth round at No. 136, his teammate Christian Scott got the call just a half-dozen picks later at No. 142 from the New York Mets.

The early-round call came a bit contrary to his MLB Pipeline rankings entering the draft, tabbed as the No. 228 prospect this year. This might not bode well for those hoping for him to return to Gainesville after getting picked higher than expected with an estimated slot value of $386,600 — though he might be expected to accept less than full value, which could conversely convince him to come back.

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The third-year sophomore had a solid campaign in 2021, appearing in 26 games while maintaining a 3.00 ERA and an impressive 1.02 WHIP over 53 innings, striking out 51 batters while walking just nine. The right-hander notched a 4-2 record while also recording two saves for Kevin O’Sullivan’s squad.

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Jacob Young drafted by the Washington Nationals in 7th round

Outfielder Jacob Young was the fifth current Florida baseball player to be taken in the 2021 MLB draft with the 203rd overall pick.

Florida outfielder Jacob Young became the fifth current Gators baseball player to be selected in the 2021 MLB draft. He was taken 203rd overall by the Washington Nationals in the seventh round. His teammates Jud Fabian, Tommy Mace, Christian Scott and Nathan Hickey were all drafted before him.

Young was one of head coach Kevin O’Sullivan’s most consistent batters this season. He broke former Florida star Tim Olson’s 21-year-old record with a 30-game hitting streak. He finished the season with a .314 batting average. The Ponte Vedra, Florida native also led the Gators in hits (80), doubles (16), runs (56), stolen bases (13) and outfield assists (7).

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He was also named to the SEC All-Tournament Team in 2021.

Entering college, Young was projected as a project because he was ranked just the No. 500 player, according to Perfect Game.

The slot value for his selection is $225,800. It’d be surprising to see Young not come back for another season with the Orange and Blue after he slid to the seventh round.

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First Tiger is off the board at MLB Draft

The first Clemson baseball player left the draft board on Monday afternoon. James Parker was selected by the Seattle Mariners with the 234th overall pick in the eighth round of the 2021 MLB Draft. Parker was the most consistent bat for Clemson this …

The first Clemson baseball player left the draft board on Monday afternoon.

James Parker was selected by the Seattle Mariners with the 234th overall pick in the eighth round of the 2021 MLB Draft.

Parker was the most consistent bat for Clemson this past season and furthered the legacy of great shortstop play in the program.

The Anderson product led the Tigers in batting average this season hitting .324 with 38 RBIs and eight home runs.

His father Tim Parker played for Clemson from 1987-90 and was drafted in the third round to the Chicago Cubs.

Time to get the latest Clemson apparel to show your Tiger pride. Order your officially licensed Clemson gear right here!

Yet another Gators commit selected in 2021 MLB draft

The prep prospect was ranked No. 198 by MLB Pipeline heading into the draft, which means the Tribe must have seen something they liked about him to take him this high.

Day 1 of the 2021 Major League Baseball amateur draft saw three Florida baseball commits taken among the first 30 selections. So far on Day 2, a pair of current Gators got the call from the big leagues before another 2022 commitment heard his name announced by commissioner Rob Manfred.

Infielder Jake Fox from Plant City, Florida, who attended Lakeland Christian, was selected at No. 95 by the Cleveland Indians in the third round – their second-straight Gators-based pick after snagging Tommy Mace at No. 69. The prep prospect was ranked No. 198 by MLB Pipeline heading into the draft, which means the Tribe must have seen something they liked about him to take him this high.

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According to Perfect Game, Fox was ranked 32nd among shortstops and 111th overall nationally in 2021 among high school prospects. The publication gave him a 10 rating, which represents a “potential(ly) very high draft pick and/or elite level college prospect”. He is described as an athlete of medium build with some present strength but also some headroom for growth.

Given his high selection, it is difficult to see him passing up the opportunity to jump straight into the professional ranks. His estimated slot value is approximately $610,800, for which even if he signs under slot represents a pretty tidy payday for an 18-year-old and will likely thwart his commitment to Florida.

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Bad news for Clemson football and baseball

A two-sport Clemson signee was taken on Day 2 of the 2021 Major League Baseball Draft on Monday. North Oconee High School (Bogart, Ga.) product Bubba Chandler was selected by the Pittsburgh Pirates with the 72nd pick in the third round of the draft …

A two-sport Clemson signee was taken on Day 2 of the 2021 Major League Baseball Draft on Monday.

North Oconee High School (Bogart, Ga.) product Bubba Chandler was selected by the Pittsburgh Pirates with the 72nd pick in the third round of the draft as a pitcher.

The Clemson Insider confirmed that Chandler will pursue a future in professional baseball rather than try his hand as a two sport star at Clemson.

Chandler fell a lot farther than most analysts projected but is glad everything worked out the way it was supposed to.

“Yesterday was a little stressful but God has a plan I’m following that plan and prayed a lot last night,” Chandler told MLB.com. “Everything is going to work out, I’m only 18 years old and if you told me this a year ago that I would be in this situation I would’ve told you you’re crazy.  Everything works out for a reason and I’m proud to be a Pittsburgh Pirate.”

A pitcher/shortstop on the diamond and quarterback on the gridiron, Chandler has signed a letter of intent to play both football and baseball for the Tigers and enrolled at Clemson in June.

Draftees have until Aug. 1 to sign baseball contracts.

Chandler threw for 3,605 yards and 40 touchdowns while rushing for 983 yards and nine more scores during his career at North Oconee.

On the baseball field, Chandler struck out 16 in seven innings while hitting .435 during his pandemic-shorted season in the spring of 2020. He finished last season 8-1 with a 1.25 ERA and 96 strikeouts in 44 2/3 innings pitched and set a single-game school record in the playoffs with a 17-strikeout performance during which he allowed only one hit.

Chandler was ranked as the No. 21 overall prospect in this year’s draft class by MLB.com.

“After working with an 88-93 mph fastball last summer, Chandler has made a leap to operating at 92-95 and touching 97 this spring,” MLB.com’s scouting report reads. “He possesses a quick arm and also has added power to his downer curveball, which now resides in the upper 70s, and his less-used slider, which gets up to 85 mph. He shows trust in his low-80s changeup as well.

“Chandler’s athleticism and clean arm action and delivery bode well for his control and command, though he’s still learning to harness his enhanced stuff. He’s also an intriguing prospect as a switch-hitting shortstop with solid power potential and speed.”

Time to get the latest Clemson apparel to show your Tiger pride. Order your officially licensed Clemson gear right here!

Boston Red Sox select Jud Fabian in 2nd round of 2021 MLB draft

Fabian will likely ask for more than his slotted amount, and that negotiation process could determine whether he returns to Florida.

Florida center fielder Jud Fabian‘s wait finally came to an end, as he was selected by the Boston Red Sox with the 40th overall pick in the second round of the 2021 MLB draft on Monday. Many projected Fabian to be a first-round pick, but he went unselected in the first 36 picks on Sunday night.

The No. 13 high school recruit in the nation back in 2019, according to Perfect Game, Fabian entered his “COVID” sophomore season in 2021 as a potential No. 1 overall pick.

He was productive in his 59 starts, leading the team in home runs with 20. That mark was tied for second-best in the SEC and ninth-best nationally. He also notched 10 doubles and 46 RBI.

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But Fabian was inconsistent at the plate. He only managed a .249 average, and he struck out 79 times, 25 more than anyone else on the entire team. Still, Fabian is an elite defensive player, finishing with a .971 fielding percentage in 2021.

His slide past the first round could have something to do with a report from D1Baseball’s Kendall Rogers, which indicated that Fabian was looking for a hefty signing bonus and would be content with returning to Florida if he doesn’t get what he’s looking for.

With his selection at No. 40, Fabian is slotted to make $1.86 million at signing. But given the fact that he was projected to be selected higher and could leverage a potential return to Florida, he will likely ask for more than the slotted amount.

How that negotiation process progresses with the Red Sox will likely determine whether Fabian will sign or return to school in 2022, but with his early-round selection, it’s very possible his time in the Orange and Blue has come to an end.

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Cincinnati Reds draft this Florida signee with their compensation pick

Allen was one of three Florida signees who heard their name called during the first round of the MLB draft on Sunday night.

Another Florida signee appears to be unlikely to make it to campus, as Fort Pierce outfielder Jay Allen was selected at pick No. 30 in the 2021 MLB draft by the Cincinnati Reds on Sunday night. It was the only compensation pick in the first round.

Allen, a 6-foot-3-inch prospect from John Carroll Catholic High School, was the No. 20 player in the nation (and No. 5 outfielder) according to Perfect Game. He was the third-best player overall in the state of Florida.

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Here’s Perfect Game’s scouting breakdown on Allen.

Outstanding athletic build with lots of room to continue to get stronger. Didn’t run the sixty but a plus runner on the field. Loose arm in the outfield with good carry and was consistently on top of the ball, accurate one-hop throws, centerfield potential. Right handed hitter, hits from an wide base with a busy front leg trigger, loose and ultra fast hands create easy barrel whip, occasionally out front too early but there will be few fastballs thrown past him, ball comes off the barrel hard, really squared up the ball well in games against high velocity pitching.

Allen committed to the Gators early in his high school career, pledging to the team the July before his sophomore year. Last April, he told Gators Territory’s Hector Rodriguez that his decision to commit to UF, with which he signed last November, was an easy one.

“My recruitment was an amazing experience, getting to know all the guys I’m going to be future teammates with,” Allen said. “The history of UF is all amazing and I’m just happy with how everything has gone so far.

“The culture and all the history of the school’s baseball program, I grew up watching the Gators, so it was always something about the orange and blue I loved.”

However, with his first-round selection, he will almost certainly sign with Cincinnati and turn pro, ending any hopes of him playing in the Orange and Blue.

Allen was one of three Florida commits who was selected on Sunday night, following right-handed pitchers Andrew Painter and Chase Petty. Painter was selected by the Philadelphia Phillies with the 13th pick, while Petty went 26th to the Minnesota Twins.

Florida center fielder Jud Fabian, who many projected to be a first-round pick, somewhat surprisingly went unselected in the first 36 picks.

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Elite Florida baseball recruit drafted by the Minnesota Twins

The Twins’ selection of Petty meant the second of Florida baseball’s elite baseball recruits will almost certainly turn pro instead of coming to Gainesville.

With the 26th pick in the 2021 MLB draft, the Minnesota Twins have selected right-handed pitcher Chase Petty. A native of New Jersey, Petty had committed to play for the Gators during the 2022 college baseball season.

The Twins’ selection of Petty meant the second of Florida baseball’s elite baseball recruits will almost certainly turn pro instead of coming to Gainesville. Players selected in the first round almost never go unsigned unless a major red flag suddenly pops up.

In Petty, the Twins are getting a pitcher who can offer some of the best raw stuff in the 2021 MLB draft class. Like Andrew Painter, another Gators recruit who was poached on Sunday night, Petty was ranked as the best high school pitcher at points during the draft cycle.

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“He has a blazing fastball and can spin a wicked slider, but there’s not a lot else that is certain about him. His consistency has slipped and the industry is becoming increasingly skittish about string-armed youngsters without polish,” we wrote in June, summarizing what he brought to the table.

The Twins were also a speculative landing spot for Gators star Jud Fabian. The shine of Fabian’s star has faded considerably since his preseason projection as a top-5 draft pick. He strikes out a heck of a lot more than pro teams want to see. However, the Twins have a good track record of developing college bats, particularly outfielders, and could still snatch him up if he slides all the way to the bottom of the second round.

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This high-ranking Gators commit was drafted by the Phillies

The Phillies are always stocking up on arms, and did so again by poaching the Gators’ best recruit in the 2021 class.

With the 13th overall pick in the 2021 MLB draft, the Philadelphia Phillies have selected right-handed pitcher Andrew Painter. An elite in-state recruit, Painter committed to play for the Gators in 2022.

With a high-velocity sinker and room to add muscle to his 6-foot-7-inch frame, Painter is a projectable pitcher who has room to get even more powerful. His fastball/changeup mix is one of the best in the 2021 draft class, and at one point, he was considered the top high school pitcher available. Instead, Oklahoma native Jackson Jobe surpassed him and was drafted by the Tigers with the third overall pick.

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Because of how highly he was drafted, there’s almost no chance of Painter making it to the Gators under normal circumstances. Something unusual, like a previously undisclosed injury or a surprise positive test for PEDs would have to pop up for a deal between the two sides not to get done.

Painter was part of a highly-rated recruiting class the Gators assembled, but as it happens in many years, the best players in the batch were always long shots to get to Gainesville.

However, the pairing between Painter and the Phillies may be a non-ideal one. One anonymous source we reached out to expressed concerns that Philadelphia is the wrong team to take the reins on his development.

“The Phillies have proven a strong track record of being able to develop pure stuff, something which Painter already has in spades. But [they] also have a proven track record of failing to develop the command/control of younger arms as they mature, as well as keeping young arms healthy,” they said.

“As a 6’7 and still possibly growing arm, Painter will likely need plenty of help managing his long levers both for repetition and for health. The Phils have had their best success developing slightly more mature and sub 6’4 arms and yet continue to draft as if they were the Rays. Seems to be a frustrating disconnect between what they develop well and who they bring in via the draft.”

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