HobbsDailyReport.com
Austin Beck of North Davidson High was taken with the No. 6 pick on Monday by the Oakland Athletics./FACEBOOK PHOTO
SECAUCUS, N.J. – The 2017 Major League Baseball Draft is underway, and two of the top six picks are high school players from North Carolina.
MacKenzie Gore, a left-handed pitcher who led Whiteville to a state 1A baseball title, was the third overall pick by the San Diego Padres.
Three picks later, the Oakland Athletics selected outfielder Austin Beck of North Davidson (Welcome).
The 40-round draft continues on Monday night and will take three days to complete.
Minnesota took shortstop-outfielder Royce Lewis of JSerra Catholic High in California with the No. 1 pick and Cincinnati then selected right-handed pitcher-shortstop Hunter Greene of Notre Dame High in California with the No. 2 pick.
With Gore’s pick at No. 3, it’s the first draft since 1990 in which 1-2-3 were high school players.
Baseball America — a leading publication on the sport — reported pre-draft a Draughn High player and two pitchers from Lenoir-Rhyne University are probable picks in this draft.
The report said right-hander Nick Jodway of Draughn and Bears pitchers John Curtis (Hibriten High) and Thomas St. Clair (Mount Tabor) are potential draft picks.
The Atlanta Braves’ first pick was at No. 5 and they took Kyle Wright, a right-handed pitcher from Vanderbilt.
Visit HobbsDailyReport.com for updates as they become available.
Click the link below for more on Gore.
http://m.mlb.com/news/article/235991534/padres-draft-mackenzie-gore-with-no-3-pick/