MLB Draft: 3 Volusia-Flagler players who could be selected, including this Ole Miss star
The same weekend Major League Baseball celebrates its stars of today, it ushers in the game's future legends.
The first round of the MLB Draft is set for Sunday, a three-day event spanning 20 rounds in which more than 600 players will learn of their professional destinations. By virtue of their 110-loss campaign in 2021, the Baltimore Orioles have the honors with the first pick.
Druw Jones and Jackson Holliday — sons of former All-Star outfielders Andruw Jones and Matt Holliday, respectively — are two of the expected contenders for the No. 1 slot.
It will take some time, perhaps not until Tuesday's third and final day, but the Volusia-Flagler area should have some representation in this draft. Here are three athletes with local ties who stand the best chance of hearing their names called.
SAVED THE SEASON: How Ole Miss pitcher Dylan DeLucia, New Smyrna Beach grad, 'saved the season' for Rebels
VEEN'S JOURNEY: Zac Veen, Colorado Rockies’ top prospect, has a bobblehead, a mustache and superstar potential
Dylan DeLucia, RHP, Ole Miss
Named Most Outstanding Player of the College World Series, New Smyrna Beach High grad DeLucia put himself firmly in the mid-round mix.
DeLucia, a 6-foot-1, 205-pound right-hander, pitched brilliantly in the NCAA tournament. He allowed a total of five earned runs in 28⅓ innings, including a complete-game shutout of Arkansas in a national semifinal, with 38 strikeouts to help the Rebels win their first championship in program history.
In what could be his lone campaign in Oxford, DeLucia went 8-2 with a 3.68 ERA.
The Athletic's Keith Law suggested DeLucia, a fourth-year junior, could be a possibility in rounds 6-10. He is viewed as an organizational depth starter or middle reliever with a three-pitch mix -- fastball (92-94 mph), slider and changeup.
Jayden Hylton, 1B, Palm Beach Gardens H.S.
The younger brother of Stetson first baseman Brandon Hylton, Jayden is signed to join forces with the Hatters next season – that is, if he's not drafted this weekend, of course.
The 6-foot-6, 220-pound right-handed hitter earned Palm Beach Post Player of the Year honors with a .438 average, four home runs, 22 RBIs and 40 runs scored. He flashed quality exit velocities and surprising speed for his size at the MLB Draft Combine in San Diego last month.
MLB Pipeline ranks Hylton 114th among all draft-eligible prospects; if a team wants to meet his asking price, he will forgo his commitment.
Among Stetson's current crop, starting pitcher Nick Durgin and catcher Christian Pregent — an Atlantic High grad — have garnered late-round consideration, head coach Steve Trimper said.
Matthew Garcia, IF, Bethune-Cookman
Regardless of the weekend's outcome, Garcia will no longer play for Bethune-Cookman. Last week, he announced a commitment to Missouri after entering the NCAA's transfer portal.
Garcia, a third-year sophomore shortstop, batted .310 with four home runs, 12 doubles, six triples, 12 stolen bases, 39 runs scored and 36 RBIs. He played in 57 games for B-CU during the program's first full baseball season as a member of the Southwestern Athletic Conference.
According to Baseball Reference, Bethune-Cookman has had 34 players picked in the MLB Draft. Left-handed pitcher Anthony Maldonado was the Wildcats' most recent selection, in the 11th round in 2019.
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Dylan DeLucia, Ole Miss star pitcher, could be MLB Draft steal
