Auburn's Nigel Belgrave selected by Miami Marlins in 15th round of MLB Draft
Former Auburn High teammates Nigel Belgrave and Coleman Picard kept in touch via text Monday, during the second day of the Major League Baseball draft, and again Tuesday, on Day 3 of the draft.
Tuesday evening, they planned to get together to celebrate.
The Miami Marlins selected Belgrave, a right-handed pitcher who came out of the bullpen at the University of Maryland this spring, in the 15th round, with the 443rd overall pick. About 24 hours earlier, the Kansas City Royals drafted Picard, also a right-handed pitcher who recently completed his junior season at Bryant University, in the sixth round with the 169th pick.
“I think it’s cool we have two kids from our high school getting drafted,” Belgrave said in a phone interview from his Auburn home Tuesday afternoon, “and we’re rooting for each other, and all of our high school teammates are supporting us.”
Belgrave was getting ready to head over to Picard’s house for a draft party.
“(To have two former Auburn players drafted) just speaks for the program,” Picard said, “and the feeling surrounding baseball in this town and how important it is.”
Belgrave’s Maryland teammate, Matt Shaw of Brimfield and Worcester Academy, was a first-round selection (13th overall) of the Chicago Cubs on Sunday. Maryland had seven players drafted.
“I’m just enjoying it,” Belgrave said. “It’s been a dream for a while.”
Belgrave and Shaw also were teammates last summer with the Bourne Braves of the Cape Cod Baseball League.
Belgrave, who missed his freshman year at Maryland due to injury, went 4-0 with two saves in 29 relief appearances this season. He had a 6.42 ERA, 29 walks and 43 strikeouts. He was 2-0 with three saves last year.
In MLB’s prospect rankings, Belgrave was No. 250 thanks to a fastball that can get up to 96 mph. He expected to be drafted on Day 2.
“But I’m just happy I went,” Belgrave said. “I’m excited.”
More: MLB.com video on Auburn's Nigel Belgrave
Belgrave followed the draft with his parents, Arlene and Nigel.
“They were happy,” Belgrave said. “We were all just happy to get off the board finally.”
Belgrave was primarily a position player at Auburn and, as a sophomore, the starting third baseman on the Rockets’ 2018 Central Mass. Division 3 championship team. Auburn coach Eric Swedberg, though, still remembers a very impressive pitching performance by Belgrave against Westborough that season.
During the PBR Future Games the summer after his sophomore year, he clocked a 90 mph fastball, and soon started receiving Division 1 college offers.
“You sense (the potential to be drafted) in a lot of players,” Swedberg said, “but it has to do with that extra variable. Both of those guys have that mindset, and I’m really proud to have them coming from our program. It’s awesome.”
—Return to telegram.com for more on this story. Contact Jennifer Toland at jennifer.toland@telegram.com. Follow her on Twitter @JenTolandTG.
This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Auburn's Nigel Belgrave selected by Miami Marlins in 15th round of MLB Draft
