Quartet of Demon Deacons Selected on Final Day of MLB Draft
7/13/2021 3:28:00 PM | Baseball
Fleming, Seymour, Menendez and Muntz heard their name called on the third and final day of the 2021 draft.
Day One Draft Recap - Cusick Selected in First Round by Braves
DENVER, COLO. -- William Fleming, Bobby Seymour, Antonio Menendez and Shane Muntz were picked on the final day of the 2021 MLB Draft on Tuesday afternoon.
The selections of Fleming (Mariners), Seymour (Rays), Menendez (Rays) and Muntz (Diamondbacks) increased Wake Forest's 2021 draftees to five, the third most during head coach Tom Walter's tenure. The 2017 class featured eight players selected, a program record.
Fleming heard his name called first on Tuesday as Seattle took him 324th overall (11th round). The right hander, the fourth Deac in program history drafted by the Mariners, will join infielder Patrick Frick, a 2019 draftee and an infielder for Seattle's High-A affiliate, the Everett AquaSox. The other two Deacs selected by Seattle were Erik Hanson (1986) and Brick Smith (1981).
Seymour and Menendez were drafted in the 13th and 14th round by the Tampa Bay Rays, the first time a pair of Deacs were selected by the same organization in the same draft since 2012 (Astros- Brian Holmes and Michael Dimock).
Day three selections were rounded out by Muntz, who Arizona drafted No. 438 overall (15th round). Muntz is the only member of the day three selections that was previously drafted as the Padres took the Phoenixville, Pa. native in the 36th round in 2017.
William Fleming, Seattle Mariners (Round 11, Pick 324)
Fleming made appearances as a starter and as a reliever throughout his four-year collegiate career. The right hander made 60 appearances (18 starts) and posted seven wins and 125 K's.
The Ashville, N.C. product posted a career year in 2021, as he started 13 games on the mound and served as a weekend starter in every ACC series. He tallied career-highs in wins (four), strikeouts (65) and innings thrown (74.2).
During his first start of the season he tossed six shutout innings against Northeastern to help the Deacs earn their second win of the season on Feb. 20. In the second game of a double header against Belmont, Fleming turned in a dominant performance with six-scoreless innings and just one hit allowed. Additionally, he did not walk a batter in starts at Duke and Virginia.
Fleming capped off his collegiate career by securing a series sweep for Wake Forest over Pitt in the final game of the 2021 season, as he went 6.2 innings and notched six strikeouts
Wake Forest ➞ @Mariners @williamf07 is heading west! #MLBDraft | #ProDeacs 🎩 pic.twitter.com/P33Qzkq0NB
— Wake Forest Baseball (@WakeBaseball) July 13, 2021
Day three is underway!
— Mariners Player Development (@MsPlayerDev) July 13, 2021
We've selected @williamf07 out of @WakeBaseball in the 11th round. #SeaUsRise pic.twitter.com/KSzZSi6Zag
Head coach Tom Walter on Fleming... "Will is one of the great sleeper picks in this year's draft. This young man WILL pitch in the Major Leagues. He is big, physical and athletic. He throws four pitches for strikes and has a very good sinking fastball. As his command continues to grow and the breaking ball sharpens, the sky is the limit."
Joe Doyle, MLB Draft Director, Prospects Live..."The Mariners snag big, tall, RHP William Fleming out of Wake Forest. Primarily a sinker/slider guy, Fleming presents a steep angle and big stuff, up to 99 in 2020. He's generally 93-96. Slider is firm and occasionally solid."
Bobby Seymour, Tampa Bay Rays (Round 13, Pick 401)
Seymour leaves Wake Forest as one of the best offensive players in program history. The first baseman tied for 21st in hits in program history (223), had the sixth-most career RBIs (190) and 10th-most home runs (38). In 2019, he became the seventh ACC Player of the Year in Wake Forest history as he put up one of the top offensive seasons in Demon Deacon history with an NCAA-best 92 RBIs. That mark was the most in Division I baseball since 2008.
Overall, Seymour posted a career batting average of .321 with 223 hits, 45 doubles, 38 HRs, 190 RBIs, 135 runs scored, a slugging percentage of .550, and an on-base percentage of .393.
In 2021, Seymour appeared and started in all 47 games, leading the Deacs in batting average (.302), home runs (21), RBIs (55), hits (54), runs scored (43), slugging percentage (.709), on-base percentage (.400) and walks (28).
At the conclusion of the regular season, the St. Johns, Ind. native's career-best 21 home runs were the second most in the entire nation and tied for the second most by a Demon Deacon in a single season. Additionally, Seymour tallied the third-most RBIs in the ACC.
The first baseman went on a tear from April 11-May 11 as he hit .400 with 26 hits, 35 RBIs, 15 HRs, five doubles, 26 runs scored, six walks and 1.169 slugging percentage.
In seven games, Seymour knocked in three hits in seven games, while blasting a career-high tying two home runs in six contests this season.
For his contributions this season, Seymour received Third Team All-ACC and Second Team ABCA/Rawlings All-Region honors.
The 2019 ACC Player of the Year is bringing some serious power to the Sunshine State. @bobby_seymour3 | #GoDeacs 🎩 pic.twitter.com/f9QVo2uKdj
— Wake Forest Baseball (@WakeBaseball) July 13, 2021
Head coach Tom Walter on Seymour... "Bobby leaves our program as one of the best hitters in Wake Forest baseball history. The 2019 ACC player of the year had a breakthrough season from a power perspective this year, hitting 21 home runs in only 47 games. He generates top-end exit velocity to all fields, is a better athlete than people think and a solid defender at first base."
Carlos Collazo, Baseball America... "Bobby Seymour was the ACC Player of the Year in 2019 and has always shown a pretty impressive feel for hitting. Scouts wondered when he was going to show more in-game power and he did that this season, popping 21 homers. Another large Wake product."
Antonio Menendez, Tampa Bay Rays (Round 14, Pick 431)
Menendez appeared in 65 games on the mound for the Deacs, including five starts, before suffering a season-ending injury prior to this season. As a sophomore in 2019, Menendez anchored the Deacs' bullpen, finishing the season with a 6-1 record and the sixth-best strikeout per innings mark in Demon Deacon history.
During the shortened 2020 season, Menendez posted a 1-0 record and 5.06 ERA, striking out 25 batters in 21.1 innings, allowing 12 runs on 16 hits and 16 walks. In a start against Sacred Heart, Menendez dominated, tossing 5.0 shutout innings, striking out nine while walking two and allowing just a first-inning single as Wake Forest recorded a one-hitter.
Wake Forest ➞ @RaysBaseball
— Wake Forest Baseball (@WakeBaseball) July 13, 2021
Another Deac heading to Tampa Bay! Let's go, @24AntonioM ♨️#MLBDraft | #ProDeacs 🎩 pic.twitter.com/5LijyIVClA
Head coach Tom Walter on Menendez..."Antonio is a young man with incredible upside. Plus stuff from three different arm slots with two breaking balls that win at any level. Had he not gotten injured just before the season, he would have been as good as anyone in the country for us. This is a great pick up for the Rays."
Shane Muntz, Arizona Diamondbacks (Round 15, Pick 438)
Muntz made 157 appearances during his time in Winston-Salem, which included 150 starts at catcher and designated hitter. During his first two collegiate seasons, he recorded 31 appearances on the mound. The Phoenixville, Pa. native posted a career batting average of .275 to go along with 147 hits, 36 home runs, 26 doubles, 110 RBIs, 97 walks and 106 runs scored and hit double-digit home runs in two seasons.
In 2021, Muntz made 44 starts at catcher and designated hitter and finished tied for third on the team with a .279 batting average in addition to 43 hits, 34 RBIs, 30 runs, 13 home runs, seven doubles and 24 walks.
Muntz opened up the 2021 season with a grand slam, which were the first runs of the new year, in the season opener against Northeastern on Feb. 19. He was also part of a historic feat versus Appalachian State as his solo home run capped off the first time Wake Forest hit three consecutive home runs since 1991.
On Senior Day against Pitt, Muntz carried the Demon Deacon offense in the final game of his collegiate career as he went 3-for-3 with two home runs and a career-high tying five RBIs.
Muntzy in the desert 🌵@dbacks | #ProDeacs 🎩 pic.twitter.com/1xbsjPLdQI
— Wake Forest Baseball (@WakeBaseball) July 13, 2021
Head coach Tom Walter on Muntz... "Shane has light tower power, shows great strike zone discipline and can catch and throw with the best of them. He has just scratched the surface of what he can do on a baseball diamond. I can't wait to see what he becomes when he makes baseball his full-time job."
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