Check out the players with Ventura County ties who were selected in the MLB Draft

Draft day was stressful for Boston Bateman.

“Basically I had a stomachache the entire day,” The Star’s reigning All-County Baseball Player of the Year said.

But the nerves eased about 7:30 p.m. Sunday, when the San Diego Padres selected the 6-foot-7 left-handed pitcher nicknamed “Sasquatch” in the second round of the 2024 MLB Baseball Draft.

“This is the absolutely the best team for me, the perfect situation,” Bateman said. “They are like 2 1/2 hours away. It’s perfect.”

Harvard-Westlake shortstop Bryce Rainer, a Simi Valley native, was selected 11th overall by Detroit to maintain Ventura County’s three-year streak of first-round MLB Draft picks. All three have been shortstops, as Rainer follows Thousand Oaks’ Max Muncy and Jack Wilson.

The Padres also drafted another player with local ties on Monday. University of San Diego third baseman Jack Costello, a Thousand Oaks native who grew up in Simi Valley, was picked in the 10th round. He played at Chaminade.

Oakland returned the county’s fertile baseball fields for the fourth straight draft, grabbing Westlake High left-handed pitcher Dylan Volantis with the first pick in the 20th and final round.

The Athletics have now selected locals in four straight drafts, including Muncy (2021), Thousand Oaks pitcher Vince Reilly (2022), Wilson and Newbury Park pitcher Cole Miller (2023).

Volantis’ late-round selection suggests he is set to stick to his commitment to pitch at USC. He was a top five-round talent according to his pre-draft MLB Pipeline ranking.

Bateman spent the day with an “inner circle” of about 15 people at his home in Camarillo. He made sure to celebrate with some hickory-smoked barbecue boneless wings from Wingstop.

“That’s my favorite,” Bateman said.

He was watching the draft in his garage, on the phone with advisor Page Odle, when the pick popped up over the MLB Network broadcast.

“I just want to show the world what I’ve got,” Bateman said. “All I need is an opportunity.”

Bateman was the second of two high school lefties selected Sunday by the Padres, who have a strong track record of prospect development under general manager AJ Preller.

San Diego is aware of the “outlier” talent they are getting in Bateman, who displayed a unique combination of size and skill at Camarillo High.

“We love the way he competes and just love the stuff out the hand, the way he goes about it,” Chris Kemp, the Padres’ vice president of amateur and international scouting, told the San Diego Union-Tribune. “It’s an outlier frame. We believe there’s huge upside here with Boston.”

Bateman was 11-1 with a 0.54 ERA, powering Camarillo to the Coastal Canyon League title and CIF-SS Division 4 championship. He struck out 130 in 64.1 innings.

He entered the draft ranked 57th by MLB Pipeline, 77th by Baseball America and 131st by Prospects Live. Although Bateman had hopes of being picked in the first round.

“The teams that did not take a chance on me, they’re going to regret that,” Bateman said. “The Padres are going to be celebrating.”

Bateman is the latest in a memorable line of draft picks out of Camarillo High, including Joe Borchard and Delmon Young, who went first overall in 2003.

“It’s a blessing,” Bateman said. “I’m grateful that I went to Camarillo High School. When kids in Camarillo look up to me, I hope I make an impact.”

The suggested slot value of the 52nd overall selection is $1.76 million. Although it may take more than that to buy Bateman away from his commitment to LSU.

“It’s my dream, the goal,” Bateman said. “I was a little bit stressed, but it ended up exactly how God wanted it.

“I’m going to continue to be the absolute best baseball player and human being I can be.”

Joe Curley is a staff writer for The Star. He can be reached at joe.curley@vcstar.com. For more coverage, follow @vcsjoecurley on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.