(PHOTO: Rye's George Kirby. Photo from Facebook.)
The MLB draft happened this weekend and Rye's own George Kirby was drafted by the New York Mets in the 32nd round as the 970th pick.
This means the Mets have a right to negotiate a contract with Kirby. However, Kirby remains unsigned and it is expected the right handed pitcher will play for the Elon University Phoenix baseball team. He committed to the team back in January.
Kirby has been captain of the Rye baseball team this year and a variety of professional scouts have come out to watch Kirby. According to this recent write-up from LoHud.com when Kirby was named ConEd athlete of the week, those recruiting Kirby have included the Yankees, Mets, Red Sox and Reds.
Metsminors.net reports this on Kirby:
"With additional strength and experience, Kirby could develop into a strong starting pitching prospect down the line. His fastball reached 94 at one point last summer, but more typically worked in the upper 80s and peaked at 92 in short bursts. He shows the natural hand speed to develop a quality breaking ball, but struggles to stay on top of the pitch, an issue that could be attributed to his hooked wrist in the back of his arm action. Kirby mixes in a changeup sparingly, but has feel for the offering and can generate late dive on the pitch. He has room to fill in his 6-foot-3, 180-pound frame, and could develop into a more prominent prospect with three years of development in college. He’s committed to Elon."
Congrats to George Kirby!
