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These four players with links to Rhode Island were selected in the MLB Draft

journal staff
·2 min read
South Kingston pitcher Ben Brutti delivers to the plate during a game in April at Central High School.
South Kingston pitcher Ben Brutti delivers to the plate during a game in April at Central High School.

Four players with Rhode Island ties heard their names called on Tuesday, the final day of the Major League Baseball Draft.

Salve Regina University pitcher:Dominic Perachi is drawing interest from major-league scouts

Dominic Perachi, of Salve Regina University; Ben Brutti, who just graduated from South Kingstown High School; Tucker Flint, a Hendricken graduate; and Ben Sears, an East Providence High graduate, were among the players taken in Rounds 11-20.

Salve Regina left-hander Dominic Perachi was selected in the 11th round by the Pittsburgh Pirates on Tuesday.
Salve Regina left-hander Dominic Perachi was selected in the 11th round by the Pittsburgh Pirates on Tuesday.

Perachi, from Washington, Connecticut, just finished his junior season at Salve. He was selected in the 11th round by the Pittsburgh Pirates with the 320th overall pick. This season, Perachi struck out 120 batters in 71⅔ innings and was 9-1 for the Seahawks.

Meet one of Rhode Island's hottest young baseball prospects:South Kingstown's Ben Brutti

Brutti is the reigning Gatorade Rhode Island Baseball Player of the Year. He was selected 333rd overall, by the Cincinnati Reds, also in the 11th round. The 6-foot-3-inch, 200-pound right-hander was dominant in his final season with the Rebels, posting an 0.46 earned-run average with just 14 hits allowed and 105 strikeouts in 46 innings last season. Among several memorable outings was a 17-strikeout performance, with just one unearned run, in a 2-1 victory over Portsmouth on May 9. At the plate, Brutti hit .465 with a .586 on-base percentage and 21 RBI through 20 games.

Hendricken center fielder Tucker Flint celebrates after catching the final out of the game against Coventry in June 2018.
Hendricken center fielder Tucker Flint celebrates after catching the final out of the game against Coventry in June 2018.

Flint was taken 388th overall, in the 13th round, by the Los Angeles Angels. After Hendricken, Flint played two seasons for Maryland and then for Chipola College, a junior college in Florida, for which he batted .370 in 56 games played, with a .318 on-base percentage, 14 home runs and 41 RBI. Flint was the  2018-19 Gatorade RI Baseball Player of the Year after he helped lead Hendricken to a 17-0 record.

East Providence's Ben Sears pitches against La Salle in May 2018.
East Providence's Ben Sears pitches against La Salle in May 2018.

Sears was selected by the Kansas City Royals in the 14th round, 415th overall. After East Providence, where he was a Gatorade RI Baseball Player of the Year, Sears starred at CCRI, earning All-America honors, before the hard-throwing righthander joined the University of Houston. This season, he posted a 3.11 ERA with 12 saves, a 6-3 record, striking out 48 over 66⅔ innings. Opponents batted .239 against him.

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Four players with Rhode Island ties taken in MLB Draft