Lacy Becomes Aggie Baseball’s Earliest Draft Selection

(Source: Texas A&M Athletics)

COLLEGE STATION, Texas – Texas A&M junior left-handed pitcher Asa Lacy was selected with the fourth overall pick of the 2020 MLB Draft by the Kansas City Royals on Wednesday evening.

The selection marked the earliest an Aggie has been picked in the MLB Draft. Jeff Granger was the fifth overall choice in 1993, also selected by the Royals. The Arizona Diamondbacks grabbed Barret Loux with the sixth pick in 2010.

It marked the second consecutive year an Aggie was drafted in the first round. The Atlanta Braves snatched up Braden Shewmake with the 21st overall pick in 2019.

Lacy is a two-time All-America earning first-team recognition from Collegiate Baseball in 2020 and third-team distinction from the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association in 2019.

The burly southpaw notched a 3-0 record with a 0.75 ERA and 46 strikeouts over 24.0 innings in his four starts in 2020. Lacy ranked fifth in the country in strikeouts and seventh in strikeouts per nine innings (17.25). He also placed in the top 30 in hits allowed per nine innings (12th – 3.38), wins (23rd) and WHIP (30th – 0.71).

The Kerrville, Texas, native logged an 8-4 record with 2.13 ERA in 2019, leading the nation in fewest hits allowed per nine innings (4.97). He also ranked eighth in strikeouts per nine innings (13.2) and ninth in strikeouts (130). Lacy was chosen to play for the USA Baseball 2019 Collegiate National Team and was named a Golden Spikes Award semifinalist for his performance as a sophomore. Lacy helped the Aggie pitching staff set a new single-season school record for strikeouts in a season with 673 in 2019

Lacy’s selection capped off a six-month run in which Texas A&M had athletes picked earlier than any Aggie in history in three different professional leagues. Ally Watt was selected sixth overall by the North Carolina Courage of the National Women’s Soccer League in January. Chennedy Carter was picked fourth overall by the Atlanta Dream of the Women’s National Basketball Association.

Story courtesy of Texas A&M Athletics

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