Six Demon Deacons Selected on Day 2 of the 2023 MLB Draft
7/10/2023 6:17:00 PM | Baseball
With nine selections through 10 rounds, Wake Forest has set a program record for selections in a single MLB Draft.
SEATTLE – Following three selections in the first two rounds on Sunday, six Demon Deacons were selected on Day 2 of the 2023 MLB Draft in Seth Keener, Teddy McGraw, Bennett Lee, Camden Minacci, Tommy Hawke and Justin Johnson.
The nine Wake Forest picks have already set a program record for most selections in a single draft with 10 rounds remaining.
Right-handed pitcher Seth Keener was the first Wake Forest player off the board on Day 2, as he was taken in the third round with the 84th overall pick by the Chicago White Sox. Fellow right-handed pitcher Teddy McGraw was taken just eight picks later at 92nd overall by the Seattle Mariners.
Of note, the Demon Deacons had more pitchers selected within the first 100 picks (four) than any other school in the nation and tied for the most overall players (five) taken during that span with LSU.
In the sixth round, catcher Bennett Lee was selected by the Detroit Tigers with the 170th overall pick. Just four picks later, the Los Angeles Angels selected right-hander Camden Minacci with the 174th pick. Outfielder Tommy Hawke was the third Deac selected in the round, as the Cleveland Guardians picked him up at 188.
At the end of the sixth round, Wake Forest had two more players drafted (eight) than any other school and three more than the second-highest ACC program.
In the 10th round, infielder Justin Johnson went off the board with the 289th overall selection by the Kansas City Royals.
DEMON DEACONS SELECTED DAYS 1 & 2 IN THE 2023 MLB DRAFT
|
Name |
Round (Pick) |
Team |
|
1 (7) |
Cincinnati Reds |
|
|
1 (18) |
Milwaukee Brewers |
|
|
2 (46) |
Colorado Rockies |
|
|
3 (84) |
Chicago White Sox |
|
|
3 (92) |
Seattle Mariners |
|
|
6 (170) |
Detroit Tigers |
|
|
6 (174) |
Los Angeles Angels |
|
|
6 (188) |
Cleveland Guardians |
|
|
10 (289) |
Kansas City Royals |
Seth Keener | RHP | Pilot Mountain, N.C. | Third Round, 84th Overall | White Sox
Keener is the sixth Demon Deacon drafted by the White Sox and second in the last two years (Eric Alder). He will join Alder (High-A), Gavin Sheets (MLB) and Nate Mondou (AAA) in the organization.
In 2023, the North Carolina native posted the lowest opponent batting average (.169) among qualified pitchers on the team. His 2.69 ERA was not only third on the team, but also third in the entire ACC.
Additionally, he recorded the second-lowest WHIP (0.87) and fourth-lowest hits/9 (5.25) in the nation.
In the postseason, he logged a 13-strikeout performance in seven innings of shutout baseball in the Winston-Salem Regional against George Mason. He also picked up the win against Stanford in the Men's College World Series after throwing 1.1 innings in relief with four punchouts.
Over the course of his three-year career at Wake Forest, Keener has recorded a 13-3 record across 54 appearances and 19 starts.
Teddy McGraw | RHP | Oneonta, N.Y. | Third Round, 92nd Overall | Seattle Mariners
McGraw joins Patrick Frick (AA) in the Mariners organization and is the fifth Demon Deacon selected by the club all-time.
In 2022, the New York native posted the lowest opponent batting average on the team at .203 in 15 appearances, as he inserted himself as one of the best Saturday starters in the conference.
McGraw's top performance of the season came on the road against rival NC State, as he threw 7.1 innings of scoreless ball while allowing just one hit in the season finale on May 21.
Additionally, he finished his sophomore campaign second on the team in strikeouts (67) and third on the team in wins (five).
He won the Cape Cod Baseball League Championship with the Brewster Whitecaps, allowing just 11 runs in seven appearances in addition to 27 strikeouts.
Bennett Lee | C | Tampa, Fla. | Sixth Round, 170th Overall | Detroit Tigers
After selecting Lee in the sixth round, the Tigers are now tied for the second-most Demon Deacons selected all-time with seven.
Transferring to Wake Forest ahead of the 2023 season, the Tampa, Fla., native was a standout behind the dish for Wake Forest's potent pitching staff.
Lee appeared in 46 games with 43 starts for the Deacs, posting a .303 batting average with 43 hits, 34 RBIs and seven home runs.
Camden Minacci | RHP | Tampa, Fla. | Sixth Round, 174th Overall | Los Angeles Angels
This is the second-consecutive season a Wake Forest player has been selected by the Angels and fifth overall.
In 2023, Minacci led the ACC with 13 saves, which also ranked sixth in the nation. He logged a 2.78 ERA and 46 strikeouts across 32.1 innings pitched while walking just 10 batters.
He posted 24 scoreless outings (30 appearances) in 2023, including a nine-game stretch which spanned over a month from May 16 to June 22. He allowed just four hits and two walks throughout that span while racking up 12 strikeouts.
The NCBWA Second Team All-American has been a productive pitcher for the Demon Deacons over the last three seasons with 21 saves, 136 strikeouts, a 3.12 ERA in 104 innings pitched.
Tommy Hawke | OF | Oak Island, N.C. | Sixth Round, 188th Overall | Cleveland Guardians
At 188th overall, Hawke is the highest Demon Deacon selected by the Guardians all-time and sixth Deacon taken by the club.
As the leadoff batter for the Deacs in 2023, the North Carolina native finished sixth in the ACC in hits (95) and fourth in runs scored (73) and walks (51) while batting .351 and playing stellar defense in center. He is one of just two players (Wilken) to play and start in all 66 games throughout the record-setting season.
In 2022, he had the fourth-highest batting average for a freshman in program history (.380) and led the team in on-base percentage (.502) and stolen bases (8).
His career accolades include 2023 Second Team All-ACC, 2023 Winston-Salem Regional All-Tournament Team, 2022 Baseball America Second Team Freshman All-American and 2022 ACC All-Freshman Team.
Justin Johnson | INF | Glen Gardner, N.J. | Tenth Round, 289th Overall | Kansas City Royals
Johnson joins William Fleming (High-A) in the Royals organization and is the first Deac drafted by the club since 1999.
The middle infielder finished 2023 third in the ACC in RBIs (76) and 10th in total bases (147) while spending most of his time at second base. He played in all but one of Wake Forest's 66 games, starting 63 of them, while batting .324 with 16 home runs.
He played a major role in helping the Deacs win the Winston-Salem Regional, going a combined 7-for-15, including a four-hit game against Maryland. He finished the weekend with 13 RBIs, eight runs scored and a pair of home runs.
In his one season with the Deacs, Johnson notched awards such as First Team All-ACC, All-ACC Academic Team and Winston-Salem Regional Most Outstanding Player.
DEMON DEACONS SELECTED BY EACH MLB TEAM
|
Number of Wake Forest Draftees |
MLB Organization |
|
8 |
Yankees |
|
7 |
Braves, Tigers |
|
6 |
Nationals, Orioles, Giants, Rockies, White Sox, Guardians |
|
5 |
Rays, Pirates, Athletics, Cardinals, Reds, Mariners, Angels |
|
4 |
Astros, Padres, Diamondbacks, Blue Jays |
|
3 |
Cubs, Mets, Royals |
|
2 |
Red Sox, Twins, Rangers, Brewers |
|
1 |
Dodgers, Marlins, Phillies |
2023 MLB Draft
The third, and final, day of the draft will begin at 2 p.m. on Tuesday and can be streamed on MLB.com and the MLB App.
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