Vineland, NJ, Native Josh Hood Drafted in Sixth Round by Mariners
A baseball player with local ties was drafted on Day 2 of the Major League Baseball Draft on Monday.
Former St. Augustine Prep star, Josh Hood, who played his college ball at North Carolina State, was draft in the sixth round, No. 186 overall on Monday by the Seattle Mariners.
The former hermits star excelled in his only season with the Wolfpack, hitting .268 with 13 home runs and 52 RBI while playing shortstop for NC State.
Its been quite a journey for Hood, a Vineland native, who started his career at the University of Pennsylvania, and was named the Ivy League rookie of the year in 2019. The Ivy League season ended after just eight games in 2020 and was wiped out entirely due to COVID in 2021.
He was drafted by the Red Sox in the 20th round last season, but elected to transfer to NC State.
From MLB.com:
Hood creates plus raw power with bat speed, strength and an aggressive approach. He produces impressive exit velocities but hunts home runs too often, lapsing into lengthening his right-handed stroke and trying to launch balls to his pull side...He has the athleticism and strong arm to handle shortstop, but his instincts are a bit lacking and he profiles better at the hot corner. He’ll likely begin his pro career at short with the potential to be a solid or better defender at third
While at St. Augustine, Hood helped the hermits win a Non-Public A state championship (2018), three straight South Jersey Non-Public A championships (2016-18) an the prestigious Diamond Classic championship.
Here is here reaction to being selected by the Mariners.