Seven Gators selected on Day 2 of MLB draft

Florida outfielder Jud Fabian and pitcher Tommy Mace were selected in the second round of the Major League Baseball amateur draft Monday, while catcher Nathan Hickey and pitcher Christian Scott went in the fifth round, outfielder Jacob Young and pitcher Jack Leftwich were picked in the seventh round and pitcher Franco Aleman was picked in the 10th round.

Fabian, picked 40th overall by the Boston Red Sox, was expected to be picked in the first round Sunday night. His slot value is about $1.86 million.

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Mace was selected 69th overall by the Cleveland Indians. His slot value is $929,800.

Hickey was the 136th overall pick in the annual draft by Boston. His slot value is $410,1000. Hickey led the Gators with a .317 batting average, .435 on-base percentage and 50 RBI. The second-year catcher also slugged .522 with nine home runs, two triples, 15 doubles, 40 runs, 42 walks and one stolen base. He split time between catcher, first base, third base and designated hitter.

Scott is the 142nd draft pick overall and was selected by the New York Mets. His slot value is $386.600. Scott pitched almost exclusively as a reliever in 2021, with 25 of his team-leading 26 appearances coming out of the bullpen. Scott finished with a 4-2 record and a 3.00 ERA across 54 innings pitched while nailing down two savess. He also struck out 51 batters and held opposing hitters to a .230 batting average against.

Young, a junior, is the 204th player picked and was selected by the Washington Nationals. His slot value is $225,800. He finished the season with a .315/.385/.461 slash line with five home runs, three triples, 16 doubles, 56 runs, 41 RBI, 27 walks and 13 steals.

Leftwich is the 216th player picked and was selected by the Cleveland Indians. His slot value is $203,400. He finished with a 7-4 record, team-leading five saves and a team-best 3.36 ERA.

Aleman, a junior, is the 306th player picked and was selected by the Cleveland Indians. His slot value is $143, 500. He was 2-4 with a 5.74 ERA and four saves over 69 innings pitched.

"I have been dreaming of this day ever since I was a kid, and I could not be more excited to be drafted by the Boston Red Sox organization," Fabian said. "I want to thank the Lord above for giving me this opportunity. There are also so many people I want to thank for making this moment possible and pushing me to be the best player and person I can be, including my parents and brother, family, teammates and all of my coaches along the way.

"I look forward to the next chapter and will push myself to continue to develop both on and off the field."

Because of the COVID-19 season a year ago, Fabian is a sophomore with two more years of eligibility left. His younger brother, Deric, will join the Gators this summer.

Fabian was previously named a Third Team All-American (Collegiate Baseball), First Team All-SEC and All-SEC Defensive Team. Fabian finished the 2021 campaign with a .249/.364/.560 slash line accompanied by 20 homers, 10 doubles, 51 runs, 46 RBI, 40 walks and six stolen bases.

Mace posted a 6-2 record with a 4.38 ERA and 113 strikeouts across 90.1 innings pitched in his junior season. This marks the second time Mace has been drafted, as he was previously picked by the Cincinnati Reds out of high school in the 12th round of the 2017 draft.

In Sunday's first day of the draft, three signees of Florida's No. 1-ranked incoming class were selected among the first 30 picks: pitcher Andrew Painter (No. 13 by the Philadelphia Phillies), pitcher Chase Petty (No. 26 by the Minnesota Twins) and outfielder Jay Allen (No. 30 by the Cincinnati Reds). The three are slotted for a combined $9,216,200 and not expected to join the Gators.

Day 3 of the draft starts at 12 p.m. Tuesday and will cover the final 10 rounds.