CCD grad T.J. Brock, Badin's Spencer Giesting top local picks in 2022 MLB Draft

Three pitchers and a pair of hitters made up the Southwest Ohio area Major League Baseball draftees Sunday through Tuesday that lasted 20 rounds.

Leading the pack in round six was former Cincinnati Country Day standout T.J. Brock who will now pitch for the Toronto Blue Jays. Brock was the first Ohio State player selected.

He had 11 saves over the past two seasons as a Buckeye closer. In 2021 he had a 2.08 ERA with 33 strikeouts in 21.2 innings. This past season he whiffed 23 in 16.2 innings with a 3.78 ERA.

He leaves for Toronto's spring training facility in Dunedin, Florida then hopes he can spot his 97-100 mile per hour fastball at the High-A level. Brock is a 6-foot-1-inch, 200-pound right-hander from the Milford area.

"I leave Thursday to get all of my physicals and stuff," Brock said. "I like the team. I love the Blue Jays. I had a lot of talks with them leading up to the draft. Ultimately, I was really happy to be with them. It's cool to see everything come full circle."

In two seasons at CCD, he struck out 121 batters in 64 innings. As a senior, he also hit .484 with four homers and 28 RBI.

His brother Andrew Brock, who recently played at CHCA (36 strikeouts in 19.1 innings) is also going on to play Big Ten baseball at Maryland.

"My college roommate transferred to Maryland so he's going to be my little brother's roommate," Brock said.

Also from the local high school ranks, former Badin lefty Spencer Giesting went in round 11 on Tuesday to the Arizona Diamondbacks. The 6-foot-4-inch, 200-pounder pitched in college at Charlotte.

Giesting was 7-4 this past season with a 3.72 ERA and 105 strikeouts in 75 innings. His fastball tops out at 96 miles, according to ProspectsLive.com.

Three area college players were also taken including 5-foot-9-inch, 200-pound Miami RedHawks righty Jonathan Brand by the Boston Red Sox in round eight.

Brand was 8-2 with a 1.40 ERA for Miami University this past spring.

“He had the lowest ERA in the country this year for guys with over 70 innings pitched,” Miami head coach Daniel Hayden said

In Tuesday's 17th round Wright State's Alec Sayre was taken by the Twins. The 6-foot-1-inch 195-pound Sayre was the Horizon League Player of the Year for the Raiders hitting .358 with 10 homers and 54 RBI in 56 games.

Finally, in the 19th round, Xavier slugger Luke Franzoni went to the Los Angeles Angels. The 6-foot-2-inch 220-pounder walloped 29 home runs and drove in 78 runs with a .354 average. He has 52 career home runs for Xavier.

Franzoni was voted second-team All-America by Collegiate Baseball News and third-team by ABCA/Rawlings after his home run tear this spring for the Musketeers.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: MLB Draft: T.J. Brock, Spencer Giesting lead Cincinnati locals