Carter Holton, the former Benedictine baseball star who went on to a standout college career as a left-handed pitcher at Vanderbilt, was selected by the Atlanta Braves in the second round with the 62nd pick of the MLB Draft on Sunday night.
The Guyton native will be staying close to home and banking a substantial signing bonus as the slot money for the 62nd pick was listed at $1.385 million.
Holton, 21, had a record breaking career at Benedictine where he starred on the mound and at the plate. He posted a 31-4 career record with the Cadets and was a member of the BC state championship team in his freshman season of 2018. A three-time All-Greater Savannah Player of the Year (COVID 19 cut his junior season short, or he likely would have won the honor four times), Holton set a state record with a career ERA of 0.59, allowing just 18 earned runs in four high school seasons.
He was a hot commodity headed into the 2021 MLB Draft, but fell to the 19th round when the Milwaukee Brewers selected him as teams shied away when he didn't get picked in the first three rounds. Holton had a number in mind, and turned down several offers of close to a million dollars to sign, as he opted to play at Vanderbilt.
It was a good decision as Holton showed he could compete against the best players in the nation in the SEC. He posted a career record of 18-10 with an ERA of 4.09. He struck out 251 batters in 200 innings behind an array of pitches, with a fastball averaging about 95 mph and great command of his changeup, curve and slider.
Holton was the second left handed pitcher taken on the night by Atlanta as the Braves picked Cam Caminiti, a 17-year old high school pitcher from Arizona, with the 24th selection in the first round. Caminiti is the cousin of the late MLB star Ken Caminiti.
Dennis Knight covers sports for the Savannah Morning News. Contact him at Dknight@savannahnow.com. Twitter: @DennisKnightSMN
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