Senior pitcher Scott Kelley was selected by the Kansas City Royals in the 23rd round of the Major League Baseball Amateur Draft Tuesday, making him the first of three Penn State athletes selected.
"I had the draft on the audio feed, my brother heard my name come across and a few minutes later a scout called to say they had taken me," Kelley said. "They called me back a little bit later and I got all the details."
In his first full season focusing on pitching, the right-hander posted a 4-5 record with a 5.43 ERA and 42 strikeouts in 59 2/3 innings. Spending time both in the rotation and out of the bullpen, Kelley's versatility and 93-94 mph fastball attracted scouts.
He said he hadn't pitched consistently since high school, so scouts were not able to get a read on his ability until this year. Kelly took advantage of the opportunity to show his arm strength and demonstrated his endurance with the capability to pitch six or seven innings.
With Kelley's selection, 692nd overall, a Nittany Lion pitcher has been drafted each of the last 11 years.
"That's a tribute to the program right there, producing quality pitchers year after year and going after guys in high school or junior college that have a chance to compete at the next level," Kelley said. "It's a good job of recruiting by the coaches and a good job of building up the program to hopefully compete at the national level."
Kelley said he would leave June 13 for Arizona to begin a five-day program he called a "shortened spring training." After that camp, he will move on to the short-season rookie league Burlington Royals in Burlington, North Carolina.
The Philadelphia Phillies selected senior first baseman Cory Wine in the 38th round. Wine's grandfather Bobby Wine played shortstop for the Phillies from 1960-1968, winning a Gold Glove in 1963.
In the 50th round, the Royals chose another Nittany Lion, but it was a player who spent the last four years playing football. Kansas City selected former Penn State safety Anthony Scirrotto with its last pick. The team announced Scirrotto, who played pitcher and shortstop in high school, as a shortstop.
Scirrotto has already signed a free-agent rookie contract with the Carolina Panthers after going undrafted in April's NFL Draft.
