'It was pretty surreal': New York Mets select Leominster's Jonathan Santucci in 2nd round of MLB Draft

As Jonathan Santucci answered a call from his agent Sunday night in his Leominster home, he simultaneously heard the TV in the background announce that the New York Mets’ second-round pick in the Major League Draft was in.

Then, Santucci heard his family members and close friends who gathered with him for the momentous event screaming.

“I looked at the TV,” Santucci said, “and there was my face and my name on it. It was pretty surreal.”

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The Mets selected Santucci, a 6-foot-2, 205-pound left-handed pitcher who recently completed his junior season at Duke, with the 46 ^th overall pick.

Santucci’s parents, Steve and Stephanie, were the first to give him huge, congratulatory hugs.

“It was awesome,” Santucci said.

This spring, Santucci started all 13 games he appeared in as Duke’s Friday night ace. He went 6-1 with a 3.31 ERA and 90 strikeouts. He worked a career-high 58 innings and held opponents to a .188 batting average.

Santucci earned first-team All-ACC honors.

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Ranked No. 37 on the Top 250 Draft Prospects list, there was potential for Santucci to go in the first round.

“Obviously everything happens for a reason,” Santucci said. “I know the Mets really liked me. I’m excited for what the future holds.”

Santucci said he will find out from the Mets in the next day or two where and when he will sign his contract.

Santucci was the first Duke player selected on day one of the MLB Draft since the Arizona Diamondbacks took Bryce Jarvis in the first round of the 2020 draft.

Santucci played for the Worcester Bravehearts in 2021 and the Harwich Mariners of the Cape Cod Baseball League in 2022.

Santucci, whose repertoire includes a 96 mph fastball, nasty slider and solid changeup, was the second-ranked recruit out of Massachusetts when he graduated Phillips Academy Andover in 2021, but he went undrafted.

At Duke, he emerged as a weekend starter the second half of his freshman season and finished with a 2-3 record and team-best 4.17 ERA. He struck out 58 batters while allowing just seven extra-base hits in 41 innings. He also led the Blue Devils in opponent batting average (.211) and strikeouts per nine innings (12.73).

An elbow injury, which required surgery, cut short Santucci’s sophomore season at Duke, but he came back strong this spring, despite missing some time late in the season with an injury.

“There were some ups and downs throughout the year,” Santucci said, “but I think it was a successful year. Everything went well overall and I put myself in a good position for this week.”

With the draft not starting until 7 Sunday night, Santucci tried to stay occupied throughout the day. He and his dad played a round of golf at The International in Bolton Sunday afternoon.

Steve Santucci was a baseball standout at Leominster High and Assumption, spent four years playing in the St. Louis Cardinals farm system, and inspired his son to pursue a career playing the game.

“Growing up,” Santucci said, “playing professional baseball was my biggest goal in life and that’s what I’ve worked every single day toward, doing everything possible to be a big leaguer. Being drafted is the stepping stone you need to achieve that goal. It’s really rewarding all the hard work and effort I’ve put in and that my parents have put in and everybody else around me, coaches, teammates. It’s definitely really rewarding and a testament to who I have around me.”

—Contact Jennifer Toland at jennifer.toland@telegram.com. Follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter, @JenTolandTG.

This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: 'It was pretty surreal': New York Mets select Leominster's Jonathan Santucci in 2nd round of MLB Draft