Next stop, Tampa, for Ian Seymour’s baseball journey - Boston Herald

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By the time Ian Seymour went to sleep Thursday, his dream had been realized.

Seymour, a 2017 graduate of St. John’s Shrewsbury and a Westboro native, was selected by the Tampa Bay Rays in the second round of the Major League Baseball Draft on Thursday night.

Seymour was ranked the No. 95 overall prospect in the country by Baseball America, but was selected with the No. 57 overall pick by a Rays organization that has amazed many throughout the baseball world with their ability to seamlessly develop young pitching. The Rays farm system has produced a number of Major League standouts including David Price, Chris Archer, James Shields, Jeremy Hellickson, and Matt Moore.

The slotted value of the pick is $1.24 million, according to MLB.com.

“It’s something you dream about your entire life, and I thought I was ready for the moment but there’s no way to prepare for that level of excitement,” Seymour said. “The Rays have so many talented players throughout their farm system that I know I am going to have to be ready to compete.”

After winning a Division 1A Super Eight Title his senior year at St. John’s, Seymour has spent the last three seasons at Virginia Tech, where he blossomed into one of the top left-handed pitchers in all of college baseball. Seymour got the call from Rays’ General Manager Erik Neander, a Virginia Tech graduate, two picks before being selected.

“I was so excited and it was funny when Erik Neander called me he goes ‘I swear you going to Virginia Tech had nothing to do with the pick,'” Seymour said. “He said, ‘we’re beyond excited to have you’ and I feel exactly the same way about joining them.”

Seymour recently finished his junior season at Virginia Tech, where he quickly became the ace of the Hokies pitching staff upon enrolling as a freshman. As Seymour transitioned from high school superstar to professional prospect, he altered the way he attacked hitters. After largely relying on pinpoint command and control of a fastball that sat in the mid-80s during his time as a Pioneer, Seymour made a serious commitment to his strength and conditioning regimen, his throwing program, and refining his secondary pitches.

By the time this past season was set to get underway Seymour had a fastball that consistently hit the low-to-mid 90s to go with a plus changeup and slider. Despite the fact that the 2020 season was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Seymour still managed to earn national player of the week honors twice, going 3-0 with a 2.21 ERA and 40 strikeouts in 20.1 innings.

“I am very excited for Ian and his family,” St. John’s Shrewsbury coach Charlie Eppinger said. “It’s a testament to him as a person to see how many people who have just reached out to me saying how excited they are for him. Former teachers of his who have never really watched a high school baseball game but just loved having Ian as a student saying, ‘congratulations’ just shows the impact he has made here.”

One extra piece of enjoyment for Seymour? His long-time friend and former summer baseball teammate Jared Shuster was selected in the first round on Wednesday by the Atlanta Braves. Seymour and Shuster both played for the Northeast Baseball Rays during high school.

“I was so happy for Jared, honestly probably just if not more excited for him if not for me,” Seymour said. “It’s such a cool feeling seeing someone close to you go through an experience like that. We have been texting each other the past couple days and now just can’t wait to get started.”

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Next stop, Tampa, for Ian Seymour’s baseball journey - Boston Herald
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