Red Sox Draft Raynham's Andrew Noviello: 'Absolute Dream Come True'
BOSTON (CBS) -- The Boston Red Sox drafted a local kid in the 25th round of the MLB Draft this year, fulfilling his life-long dream in the process.
Early Wednesday afternoon, Boston selected Andrew Noviello, an 18-year-old catcher out of Bridgewater-Raynham Regional High School. Noviello helped the school to a Division 1 Championship in 2013, and has been swinging a scorching bat this spring.
Shortly after receiving the phone call he had hoped to get his entire life, Noviello took to Twitter:
But that wasn't all Noviello had to worry about on Wednesday. The B-R Trojans faced off against Xaverian on Wednesday night in the consolation bracket of the MIAA Super 8 tournament, with the soon-to-be member of the Red Sox organization behind the plate. In addition to going 4-for-5 with a pair of doubles, he also pitched four innings of relief, striking out 10 of the 12 batters he faced in a 10-5 win for Bridgewater-Raynham.
"To get drafted by the Red Sox, and then go out and beat a Catholic Conference school, two best feelings in the world," he told reporters after the game.
Noviello, a converted second baseman, was hitting .509/.643/1.056 with six home runs and 21 RBI entering Wednesday night's game. Even more impressive is that he has just three strikeouts in the season (via ESPNBoston.com's Brendan Hall).
MaxPreps ranked the 6-foot, 195-pound Noviello as the No. 2 prospect in Massachusetts. Baseball America said he's"...a high ceiling offensive player with the potential for power from the left side," adding he's "raw behind the plate, but some scouts believe he can stay there."
Noviello said he'll be signing with the Red Sox despite committing to Maine, and he'll likely report to rookie ball when a deal with Boston -- and school -- is done. He hopes to be in Spring Training by next season.
He has already changed his Twitter profile to read, "Professional Baseball Player in The Boston Red Sox organization." That title may become official very soon.
