5 former Bravehearts selected in baseball draft

• Posted by Local sports July 18, 2024 - Filed in Sports - 2,082 views

  Leominster’s Jonathan Santucci headlines Worcester’s league-high list of selections

  WORCESTER — 5 former Worcester Bravehearts were selected in the 2024 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft, held Sunday to Tuesday in Fort Worth, Texas.

  Worcester’s 5 draft picks mark the most among any Futures Collegiate Baseball League team. Since 2015, 29 total Bravehearts alumni have been selected in the MLB Draft.

  Jonathan Santucci - LHP - Bravehearts ’21 - New York Mets (Round 2, Pick 46)

  Santucci, a Leominster native, became the highest-drafted former Braveheart since Matt Shaw in 2023. In 10 games with Worcester at the start of the 2021 season, Santucci collected 5 hits and 6 RBIs, also appearing twice on the mound. The right-hander fired scoreless innings in both of his pitching outings with Worcester, earning 2 saves. At Duke University, Santucci transitioned into a full-time pitcher. The righty was named an All-American by D1Baseball.com and Perfect Game in addition to an All-ACC nod in 2024.

  “It was eye-opening for me and really good to get adapted to what college baseball was like,” Santucci said of his time with the Bravehearts. “It was a definitely a step up.”

  Dennis Colleran - RHP - Bravehearts ’21, ’23 - Kansas City Royals (Round 7, Pick 197)

  Colleran, a native of North Attleboro, was the first former ’Hearts player selected on the Draft’s second day. The Northeastern University right-hander was Worcester’s relief ace in 2021, pacing the Bravehearts’ bullpen with a 1.29 ERA and 41 strikeouts across 41 innings. Colleran returned to Worcester for the start of the 2023 season before graduating to the Cape Cod League, surrendering just 2 earned runs across 10 innings in his second stint with the team. Colleran struck out 46 hitters in just over 40 innings as a junior at Northeastern.

  Randy Flores - INF - Bravehearts ’21 - Los Angeles Angels (Round 8, Pick 232)

  A 2021 Futures League All-Star, Flores became the first Alabama State University player selected in 6 years. In 2021, Flores, then at Franklin Pierce University, ranked fourth in the Futures League with a .310 batting average and led all FCBL hitters with 5 triples. Flores also led the 2021 ’Hearts with 15 multi-hit games, stole 19 bases, and scored 31 runs. The highlight of the Brooklyn native’s Worcester tenure came during a 3-hit, 4-RBI performance against Nashua on June 24, 2021. After transferring to ASU, Flores was named a member of the All-SWAC First Team in 2024.

  John West - RHP - Bravehearts ’20 - Arizona Diamondbacks (Round 12, Pick 374)

  John West, then a recent Shrewsbury High School graduate, was a mid-season addition to the 2020 Worcester roster. West, who also pitched for current Bravehearts’ owner Frank Vaccaro with Shrewsbury American Legion Post 397, struck out 10 hitters across 10 innings with the Bravehearts. The Boston College-bound right-hander finished the season on a 4 2/3-inning scoreless streak, capped by a hitless relief inning against Nashua in the 2020 FCBL Playoffs. After his time with the ’Hearts, the 6-foot-8, 265-pounder went on to rack up 179 strikeouts across 188 innings at BC.

  “It was probably the most eye-opening baseball experience I’ve ever had,” West remembers of the 2020 Futures League season. “That was probably the best year the Futures League has ever seen.”

  Tanner Smith - RHP - Bravehearts ’21-’22 - San Diego Padres (Round 15, Pick 450)

  Duxbury native Tanner Smith was the second of two Harvard pitchers to hear his name called in this week’s draft. The right-hander joined the Bravehearts for 2 relief appearances at the tail end of the 2021 season, then returned in a starting role in 2022. In 7 starts and nearly 37 innings, Smith struck out 31 opposing hitters, a figure which led the ’Hearts staff upon his departure. Smith averaged more than a strikeout per inning across 2 seasons at Harvard.