Jul. 3—Hamburg’s Hunter Shuey said he believes he’s in a can’t-lose situation when it comes to the 2021 MLB First-Year Player Draft, set for July 11-13.
“I’m either going to college to play baseball or getting the opportunity to play professional baseball,” Shuey said. “Either way I’ll be playing the sport that I love.”
Shuey might be drafted along with two other Berks County high school right-handed pitchers, Wilson’s Luke Holman and Brandywine Heights’ Chase Renner. All three have signed to play Division I baseball, Shuey at North Carolina-Greensboro, Holman at Alabama and Renner at Penn State.
They all might have decisions to make depending on if and when they’re taken in the 20-round draft and how much money they’re offered.
Holman is regarded as the best prospect of the three Berks products. MLB.com rates him as the No. 173 prospect available. He was 7-1 this season with a 0.88 ERA and 113 strikeouts in 55.2 innings. He allowed 23 hits and 23 walks and led Wilson to the District 3 Class 6A championship and the Berks League final.
“The projectability is the main thing with a 6-4 frame that should be able to add strength,” MLB.com‘s scouting report on Holman said. “That could mean more consistent velocity for a fastball in the 90-94 mph range thrown with good spin rates.
“Holman also can really spin his breaking ball, a pitch he typically throws in the mid-70s that flashes plus at times. He can mix in a decent changeup occasionally as well. A team that likes prep arms with some ceiling could take Holman early enough to keep him from heading to the University of Alabama.”
Holman participated in the inaugural MLB Draft Combine last month at Cary, N.C., where the top 88 draft-eligible high school players were seen by scouts and personnel evaluators from every team.
He said he’s meeting with two teams this week and throwing what amounts to bullpen sessions for the Boston Red Sox on Monday at Fenway Park and for the Philadelphia Phillies on Wednesday at Citizens Bank Park.
Holman said he could be taken as early as the second or third round.
“I’ll probably start to talk to more teams in the next few days,” he said. “They’ll say, ‘Are you OK with this amount of money or in this round?’ If we don’t come to a conclusion with money, I think I’ll just say I’m going to ‘Bama and that’s that.”
Renner, who began classes this week at Penn State, went 5-1 this season with a 0.60 ERA and 67 strikeouts in 35 innings for the Bullets, who reached the Berks and District 3 Class 3A playoffs. He allowed just 10 hits and 20 walks.