Shrewsbury's John West is selected in 12th round by Arizona Diamondbacks

John West gathered with about 25 of his closest family members and friends Tuesday afternoon in Harwich Port, not for a beach day, but instead to watch, with anticipation, the final rounds of the Major League Baseball Draft.

“We were sitting around, waiting for it,” West, the former Shrewsbury High ace and Boston College pitcher, said, “hoping for a call.”

The Arizona Diamondbacks selected West in the 12 ^th round, with the 374 ^th overall pick.

West was sitting next to his mom, Nancy, and his brother, Mike, when he got the news.

“They were the first people I got to hug,” West said.

West was the second Central Mass. product taken in this year’s draft. Leominster’s Jonathan Santucci was a first-round pick of the New York Mets.

The 6-foot-8, 265-pound right-handed West, who was BC’s primary weekend starter the last two seasons, earned third-team All-ACC honors this spring as a senior after striking out a team-high 66 in 78 innings.

West went 1-4 with a 5.42 ERA in 14 starts, and ranked in the top five in the ACC in starts and innings pitched.

This season, West’s fastball sat around 90-93 mph and hit 96. He struck out a season-high seven in his final appearance of the season against Clemson.

West went into this week with high hopes, but an open mind.

“I would say this,” West said, “never go into the draft with expectations. That’s what I did. There were no expectations for (Monday) or (Tuesday). I had some opportunities throughout the entire draft to go. This one presented itself, and it was the best opportunity. I’m grateful for it, and I couldn’t be more thrilled to be a Diamondback.”

West was a T&G Super Team honoree in basketball and baseball at Shrewsbury and helped the Colonials reach the Division 1 state final his junior year. He was a hero of the 2019 Shrewsbury Post 397 American Legion World Series team.

West, who played for the Worcester Bravehearts of the Futures Collegiate League in 2020, was the fourth of five former Bravehearts selected in this year's draft.

Other former Bravehearts selected were Santucci, Dennis Colleran (seventh, Royals), Randy Flores (eighth, Angels) and Tanner Smith (15th, Padres).

West struggled his first two seasons at BC, but worked to gain consistency and came into his own as a junior, when he went 5-3 with a 4.50 ERA and led the Eagles in opposing batting average (.208).

Playing Major League Baseball has been West’s aspiration since he fell in love with the game as a youngster when his late dad, Ken, coached him.

“Since I was 5 years old, I’ve been dreaming for this moment,” West said. “It was really cool to celebrate it with my mom and brother and my family and friends behind me. That was the special part of it.”

Ken West passed away in 2014 at age 52 after valiantly battling amyotrophic lateral sclerosis for four years. Ken’s spirit has lived on through his son and inspired his awesome efforts as an ALS awareness ambassador.

West was the 93 ^rd player in Boston College baseball history drafted.

Excluding the COVID-shortened 2020 MLB Draft, this was the 10 ^th straight season BC has produced at least one draft pick. West’s teammate, Cameron Leary, was a 10 ^th -round selection of the Oakland Athletics.

“I’m thrilled for the opportunity,” West said, “and grateful to the organization for taking 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: Shrewsbury's John West is selected in 12th round by Arizona Diamondbacks