ST. THOMAS — Alex McFarlane, a St. Thomas-born prime-time talent who attended Habersham Central High School in Georgia, was picked by the St. Louis Cardinals on Wednesday afternoon in the 25th round of the Major League Baseball Draft, going 755th overall.
Mr. McFarlane was born in St. Thomas and attended the Montessori School and Peter Gruber International while there, before moving to Georgia for his senior year.
While Mr. McFarlane, a right-hander, was ranked as the 115th overall player in the draft, most teams let him go due to his strong commitment to the University of Miami, according to reports from U.S. mainland outlets. He throws hard and has excellent upside as a potential future middle-of-the-rotation starting pitcher.
The youngster went a perfect 6-0 during his senior year at Habersham, compiling a 1.70 ERA and 66 strikeouts in 49.1 innings of work. At the plate, he hit .479 with a homer, 16 RBI, scored 44 runs, and had 12 doubles, 3 triples, 19 walks, and a .568 on base percentage.
Below, find Mr. McFarlane’s scouting profile according to MLB.com:
McFarlane might have surpassed Akeel Morris (Mets, 10th round, 2010) as the highest pick ever directly out of the Virgin Islands if he hadn’t moved to Georgia for his high school senior season. The son of a 1988 Olympics taekwondo participant (Tami Noel) and a former sprinter (Roy McFarlane), he may have the best chance to remain a starter among the Peach State’s best prep arms this spring. He’s also strongly committed to Miami, so he could slide out of the top five rounds. Projectable and athletic, McFarlane could have two plus pitches once he matures physically. He can reach 95 mph early in games and sit at 90-93 with riding action for stretches, though his velocity faded a bit as the Draft approached. He gets good break on his upper-70s slider, which should be a more dynamic offering once it adds more power. McFarlane already shows the ability to throw his changeup for strikes. He has a fairly clean delivery, which allows him to repeat it well but doesn’t provide much deception. He could have the upside of a No. 3 starter once he gets stronger.
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