Six players who have donned the Victoria HarbourCats uniform within the last five years got one step closer to wearing some big league threads this week.
The former West Coast League players were selected in Major League Baseball’s entry draft on June 12 and 13.
The first to be selected was Shane McGuire, who was picked 278th overall by the Oakland Athletics. McGuire had a .451 batting average, four home runs and 32 RBI in 26 games with the HarbourCats back in 2017. A June 13 news release from the baseball club called him one of the most well-rounded players in HarbourCats team history.
Two former players, 2018 outfielder Rowdey Jordan and 2019 right-handed pitcher (RPH) Jack Neely, were both picked by New York teams in the 11th round of the draft on Tuesday. They were selected by the Mets and Yankees, respectively.
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Rounding out the list of the drafted former HarbourCats were: 2018 RHP Owen Sharts, who went to the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 13th round; infielder Wyatt Young was chosen by the Mets in the 15th; and 2017 RHP Luke Boyd was scooped up by the San Diego Padres 520th overall in the entry draft.
“With only 20 rounds in this draft, down from 40 in 2019, this is a tremendous draft for so many in our organization,” said HarbourCats managing partner, Jim Swanson, in the release. “These young men are tremendous ambassadors for their schools, their families, and our organization and they have worked very hard to earn a pro opportunity like this.”
Three other HarbourCats signees who never played for the team due to the pandemic and other reasons were chosen in the 2021 draft. They include RHP Aaron Davenport, infielder Marcos Castanon and outfielder Damiano Palmegiani.
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