Brave new world
New Bedford native taken 25th overall by Atlanta
With uncertainty surrounding this year’s MLB Draft due to the COVID-19 pandemic wiping out most of the collegiate baseball season, it was tough to pinpoint where Jared Shuster would land.
Turns out, the Atlanta Braves deemed the New Bedford native and much-improved left-handed pitcher out of Wake Forest worthy of a first-round selection.
Taking in the draft at his home and surrounded by family, Shuster became the newest member of the Braves on Wednesday night when they chose him at No. 25 overall. By making his way into the first round — Shuster was ranked the No. 77 prospect coming into the draft by MLB.com — the 21year-old’s assigned pick value is slightly above $2.7 million.
“The last week or so I’ve been in contact with them a lot,” said Shuster in a conference call.
“Honestly, I didn’t know until a couple minutes before the pick was in. It was a really exciting moment for me and my family.”
Shuster’s initial impressions at Wake Forest didn’t inspire confidence that he would end up a first-round pick. Shuster, who played one year at New Bedford before he transferred to Tabor Academy, posted a bloated 6.79 ERA over his first two seasons with the Demon Deacons.
But the 6-foot-3, 210-pound lefty, who has a mid-90s fastball that can touch 97 miles per hour in his arsenal along with a wicked changeup and a breaking ball, began his transformation into a premier pitching prospect with his accomplishments playing summer ball.
After leading the New England Collegiate Baseball League with 62 strikeouts in 49 innings, Shuster went a step further pitching for the Orleans Firebirds of the prestigious Cape Cod Baseball League last summer. On the Cape, Shuster showcased his sensational changeup, which he called his best pitch, to go 4-0 with a 1.36 ERA and a 36-to-5 strike-out-to-walk ratio.
Shuster carried his growing confidence into his shortened junior season at Wake Forest this spring, where he recorded 43 strikeouts in 26 1/3 innings, including fanning a career-high 13 batters against Louisville in his final start.
“I worked really hard to get a lot better,” Shuster said.
“I was expecting to improve and get a lot better and I’m glad I did. I think I have a really high ceiling and I’m going to work hard every day to reach that ceiling.”
Wake Forest coach Tom Walter commended Shuster’s “relentless quest” to put himself in a position that didn’t seem likely two years ago. And now, Shuster’s in an ideal spot where the Braves can continue to help him develop.
“It’s just a pitching-rich organization that’s grounded in pitching, so I think he’s going to fit in perfectly there and hit the ground running,” Walter said.
Entering an organization that is still known for boasting star pitchers Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine and John Smoltz in the starting rotation in the 1990s isn’t lost on Shuster.
Shuster said he has viewed clips of Maddux and Glavine and remembers watching Chipper Jones at an early age. Knowing their accomplishments, Shuster is setting lofty goals for himself.
“(It’s) a team with a lot of history and I’m really excited to be a part of the organization,” Shuster said. “I hope to help win a couple of championships in my career for Atlanta.”
But first he has to get to the big leagues, and Shuster has the right physical and mental makeup to make that come to fruition.
“He just puts his faith in the process and puts his faith in the work and he keeps grinding,” Walter said. “I think in professional baseball, those are the guys that you see make it.”