Kennesaw State catcher Max Pentecost was selected by Toronto with the No. 11 pick in the first round of baseball’s first-year player draft on Thursday. Sprayberry High’s Michael Chavis was selected by Boston at No. 26.
Pentecost, a native of Winder, becomes the highest-selected player in school history. Chad Jenkins was formerly the school’s top pick, going 20th to Toronto in 2009.
“I’m absolutely thrilled,” Pentecost said.
Pentecost is batting .423 with a Division I-leading 110 hits, including 23 doubles, nine homers, 58 RBIs and 17 stolen bases. He has a slugging percentage of .631. Playing in all 62 games, he also had a 36-six game hitting streak. He has thrown out 21 of 41 base runners this season.
Pentecost and the Owls will play at Louisville in a best-of-three Super Regional that starts Friday. Pentecost, his dad Maxwell, mom Wanda and sister Britt joined the team to watch the draft in a hotel room in Kentucky.
Pentecost was selected by the Rangers in the seventh round of the 2011 draft after a standout career at Winder-Barrow High School. Coming off surgery to repair a stress fracture in his arm, he chose to sign with Kennesaw State instead.
He said it was a gamble that worked out.
“Coming to college and showing I can play healthy, that I can possibly prove my athleticism was the goal and that’s what we were able to do,” he said.
Chavis played third baseman and shortstop and batted .589 with 14 home runs and 37 RBIs last year.
The slugger wore a suit with a bow tie to draft headquarters in New York, and hugged baseball commissioner Bud Selig after his name was called.
“This is like a dream come true (being drafted by Boston),” Chavis told the MLB Network. “I watched the draft last year, and this is an indescribable feeling.”
Chavis is committed to Clemson, but will likely bypass college because he has a slot value of $1,875,000 with the Red Sox.
Chavis was considered by some to be the nation’s top power hitter out of high school.
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