Each of them sat there impatiently, with Chase Petty at the Belco Theater in Denver on Sunday night, Anthony Solometo and Lonnie White at their home on Monday morning. Each of them received a call from the 2021 Major League Baseball Players Draft in due course.

Petty was selected by the Minnesota Twins with the 26th overall pick in the first round. Solometo and Jr. White were selected by the Pittsburgh Pirates respectively-Solometo was the 37th overall pick in the first round of the second round, and White’s bonus in the second round Round part, overall ranking 64th.

Waiting is hard. Now is the easy part-choose what to do.

Petty, a 6-foot-2, 190-pound right-handed pitcher from a mainland high school Who clocks at 102 miles per hour, Is the commitment of the University of Florida. In his senior season, he defeated 99 batsmen in 48 2/3 innings while scoring a 1.48 ERA. The twins have a $2.65 million bonus for that draft position.

White’s 6-foot-3 and 212-pound Malvern reserve outfielder hit 0.395 with 11 doubles, 5 homers and 25 RBI in his senior year, which is less than the Buccaneers’ $1.05 million draft value. And it’s Pennsylvania State University dedicated to football.

Finally, Solometo, the 6-foot-5, 220-pound Eustace Bishop left-handed pitcher and North Carolina pitcher, made 64 strikeouts last season with a score of 5-0. Out, there were only 5 walks in 32 2/3 innings, and released an amazing data of 0.21 ERA, which belongs to the Pirates’ prize value of 2 million US dollars.

About three minutes before he was actually ranked 26th by the Twins, Petty had a hint that he would go there. A player’s position in the MLB draft depends to a large extent on signability and talent. For example, in the first round, 20 players scored lower than Solometo, who was ranked 17th overall in the MLB.

“It’s nice to hear someone call your name,” said Petty, who snatched the show with Patrick Maholms’ haircut on Sunday night when Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred was in The MLB draft headquarters received boos from the crowd. “I didn’t hear much from the twins, but they gave me an offer and we had a conversation, so I knew they would pick me up three or four minutes in advance.

“I can’t say whether I will go to Florida, but my dream is coming true. Also, I must look good, I must get [mo]Eagle go. I am a very open person and I want to enjoy this moment. It has been very emotional for a few weeks, and I hope my parents will also be emotional. It hasn’t fallen into it yet. The dream is to participate in the Grand Slam. “

After being selected by the pirates, White received a congratulatory message from Pennsylvania State University coach James Franklin.

“For a while, he tended to play football,” Franklin said. “What happened was that he went to play baseball and he was successful in baseball. I said,’Listen, I will support you to do whatever you want, but we will discuss this.’ “It’s hard to do To. I want to make sure that everyone understands what we are going to accomplish and how we will accomplish it together. “

When White’s adviser informed him that the pirates had selected him, he was sitting with his family when the call came in.

“I’m very nervous, my heart is pounding, but it’s very exciting,” White said. “It’s absolutely nerve-wracking because this is something I wanted to do since I was a kid. I don’t know what I want to do. I definitely feel a lot more relaxed. The days leading up to the draft I was very nervous and wanted to see the meeting. what happened.

“The stress has eased a bit. I haven’t even responded to my text messages. There are hundreds of people, which is really good because it’s not just my family. I received a letter from Pennsylvania State University and they congratulated me and we will Let them know (his next move). I’m very happy.”

Solometo thinks he should be out in the first round-he should also be out. Although waiting for another day did not bother him too much.

Waiting for what to do spurs more motivation for success, just as future Hall of Famer Tom Brady still masters the way he was eliminated in the sixth round.

“I have a lot of Tom Brady,” Solometo admitted. “Everyone is talking to me, and I don’t know who to trust, especially after the first day. There are a lot of Tom Brady in it. I have something to prove. Being selected makes waiting easier.

“Sunday night is a difficult night, waiting and seeing everyone being selected. My journey will not stop until I enter the Hall of Fame, hope I can wear the Pittsburgh Pirates jersey. I think I will and Pittsburgh The Pirates signed. There are still things that need to be done, but I am really happy to be with the Pittsburgh Pirates.”

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related: Program 3: A trio of local high school baseball players can participate in the first round of the Major League Baseball Draft

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Joseph Santoliquito is an award-winning sports writer in the Philadelphia area. He has been writing for PhillyVoice since its establishment in 2015 and is the president of the American Boxing Writers Association. He can follow on Twitter: @JSantoliquito.