FORT MYERS, Fla. — The future stars of baseball are finding their new homes. The 2023 MLB Draft is in full swing; the three-day event began Sunday night and runs through Tuesday.
“It’s such a special moment in those guys’ careers individually to hear their name get called,” FSW Baseball Head Coach Zac Cole said.
This year, Southwest Florida has a large presence in the draft. Over 15 of baseball’s top prospects have ties to our local area. From the FGCU players to the FSW team to a couple of local high schoolers, this year’s draft is littered with hometown stars.
“This is a good class,” FGCU Baseball Head Coach Dave Tollett said. “I’ve seen more interest than we’ve had in the past.”
Starting with FGCU, the Eagles have four solid options in this year’s draft. Edrick Felix, the reigning ASUN Player of the Year, headlines the bunch. All Americans Alejandro Figueredo and Joe Kinker also have their names in the player pool. Plus, Alejandro Rodriguez is a name to look out for.
“They don’t care if it’s day three or day two,” Tollett said. “They just want a shot. A scout asked me two weeks ago, he goes, ‘Will they take 100?’ I said, ‘They’ll take a penny and a Quarter Pounder a day.’”
As for FSW Baseball, the Buccaneers are looking to add to their recent draft success. The Bucs have produced seven draftees in just the past two seasons. This year the names to know are pitchers Marty Gair and Tyler Kennedy. Plus, the program’s first All-American AJ Shaver, is hoping to hear his name called.
“That’s what kids want to do,” Cole said. “They want to get drafted. They want to get to professional baseball. I think FSW has had a tremendous opportunity for guys to do that.”
Although the teams and players are confident their names will be called, the MLB Draft is always interesting and unpredictable.
“There’s one thing I’ve learned about the draft, it’s very unpredictable,” Cole said. “You think you know what’s gonna happen. People tell you what to expect, but then it never seems to go [that way].”
So, as the draft unfolds over the next couple of days, it may not go as expected. However, there is still a very good shot; some players will be going from the diamonds in Southwest Florida to the big leagues.
The post Southwest Florida with large presence in 2023 MLB Draft appeared first on NBC2 News.
