Georgia Tech left-handed relief pitcher Sam Clay was selected in the fourth round of the major league baseball draft by the Minnesota Twins Friday afternoon. Clay was a standout out of the bullpen for the Yellow Jackets, as he recorded a team-best 1.26 ERA in 57.0 innings.
Clay was the first Tech player selected in the draft, and the only one in the first 10 rounds. A sophomore, he was eligible because he will turn 21 within 45 days of the draft.
“It feels amazing,” Clay said. “It feels great to be drafted.”
Clay was undrafted out of Buford High, but gained the attention of scouts this year. He had an opponent batting average of .197 after a .258 average and 6.94 ERA as a freshman in 2013. Clay said his goal this season was just to get more playing time.
This season, the possibility of getting drafted “started becoming more real to me after I had a couple really good outings and I started getting questionnaires from a lot of teams,” Clay said.
Clay was at home Friday watching a movie when he learned, via text from teammate Dusty Isaacs, that he had been selected. He was non-committal about his willingness to sign and forego his final two seasons, but Tech coach Danny Hall said Wednesday that if Clay were drafted in the first five rounds, he expected Clay to sign.
“I’m going to be talking to my parents and an advisor and see what the best path is for me,” Clay said. “Right now, it still kind of hasn’t hit me yet.”
Clay was Tech’s 121st draft pick under Hall and the 38th player to be taken in the first five rounds.
After rounds 3-10 Friday, the draft will continue Saturday with the final 30 rounds. Tech players Matthew Grimes, Josh Heddinger, Mott Hyde, Jonathan Roberts, Daniel Spingola and Isaacs are all possibilities to be selected.
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