More Greater Cincinnati baseball standouts were selected on the second day of the Major League Draft after Miami University pitcher Sam Bachman headlined Day 1 being the ninth overall choice going to the Angels.
The locals had to wait until round three just after 2 p.m. Monday when Tyler McDonough was called as the 75th pick overall by the Boston Red Sox.
McDonough hit .339 with 15 homers and 45 RBI for the Wolfpack in 55 games. He was part of the NC State squad that saw their season ended against Vanderbilt in the College World Series semifinals when the NCAA ruled a game a "no contest" due to COVID-19 protocols. McDonough is listed as a second baseman but primarily played center field for the Wolfpack. The 5-foot-10, 180-pound McDonough has started all three seasons with the Wolfpack and is a switch hitter.
At Moeller High School, McDonough showed his versatility.
"He primarily caught for three years but pretty early on I figured I couldn't have him out of the line-up a day," Moeller coach Tim Held said. "When I didn't want to catch him every day I could put him in the infield or put him in the outfield. He made us better at those spots as well. He's an incredible athlete."
McDonough also was a three-year starter at Moeller. McDonough was Greater Catholic League-South Player of the Year in 2018 when he hit .376 with four homers, 20 RBI and 19 steals for the Crusaders.
In the fourth round, West Clermont's Cal Conley was chosen with the 126th overall pick by the Atlanta Braves.
The Texas Tech junior was recently honored with the Brooks Wallace Award as the nation's top shortstop, according to the College Baseball Foundation. Conley is a 5-foot-10, 185-pound switch hitter who hit .329 with 15 homers and 55 RBI in 2021. He hit safely in 43 of 56 games and had a .960 fielding percentage helping the Red Raiders to a Super Regional. Conley said the Braves liked the way he approached his game.
"Overall I'm just a baseball player that brings energy and wants to win," Conley said. "My career really starts now and I'm just blessed for the opportunity from the Atlanta Braves."
Conley hit over .400 three times in high school, twice at Loveland and also in his senior year at West Clermont. At Midland, he played on back-to-back Connie Mack World Series championship teams over the summer.
Not long after Conley was chosen, his former/future teammate Luke Waddell was also chosen by the Braves. Before Conley finished at West Clermont, he was part of the middle infield with Waddell at Loveland High School and on the 18U Midland Redskins during the summer.
Waddell was a four-year starter for Georgia Tech and a team captain. The 5-foot-9, 180-pound lefty swinger hit .309 with eight homers and 33 RBI in 2021. He also was named to the USA Baseball Collegiate National Team in 2019 and has graduated with a business administration degree with a 3.9 GPA.
"My phone's kind of blowing up, it's crazy!" Waddell said of being reunited with Conley.
At Loveland and Midland, Waddell was the shortstop with Conley playing second. Waddell's not concerned and did play some second with the Yellowjackets in addition to short.
"I don't think it matters," Waddell said laughing. "We're both just pumped. We'll talk on the phone later when it all settles down."
The Braves were just 11 miles away from Waddell at Georgia Tech and he was familiar with their advance scout. After missing out on 2020's shortened five-round draft, the Loveland legend (school's all-time leading football running back also) is full steam ahead.
"I went back to school and got my degree so it all worked out," Waddell said. "I can't complain about anything. It might have been a little emotional last year but at the end of the day, I'm getting started now. It's awesome!"
From the University of Cincinnati, left-handed pitcher Evan Shawver went to the Colorado Rockies in the seventh round.
Shawver is a 6-foot-1, 185-pound lefty for the Bearcats who was 3-1 with a 2.72 ERA and 49 strikeouts in 46.1 innings. In 2018 he was named the Ohio Division I Player of the Year by the Ohio High School Baseball Coaches Association.
Late Day 1: Competitive Balance Round A
After the Reds had a compensation pick at No. 30 overall in Round 1 (outfielder Jay Allen, John Carroll Catholic HS, Florida) six more selections were made Sunday.
With the 33rd pick overall, Wright State second baseman Tyler Black was selected by the Milwaukee Brewers. Black hit .383 with 13 homers in 48 games for the Raiders.
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