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Three Former Navigators Selected in 2024 MLB Draft![]() LYNN, Mass. — The North Shore Navigators had three players from their past two New England Collegiate Baseball League seasons selected in the 2024 Major League Baseball Draft, which concluded on Tuesday afternoon. Pitcher David Hagaman (West Virginia, 2023) was the first Navigator whose name was called, going to the Texas Rangers with the No. 133 overall selection in Monday’s fourth round. The Navs were also represented just one round later, as shortstop Jack Penney (Notre Dame, 2022) became the No. 147 selection of the Detroit Tigers. Rounding out North Shore’s class on Tuesday was two-way player Nathan Blasick (New Orleans, 2022), who the Colorado Rockies drafted as a right-handed pitcher in the 19th round. Hagaman is the franchise’s highest-drafted player since catcher Dominic Keegan (Vanderbilt, 2018) was picked in the fourth round by the Tampa Bay Rays in 2022, while the pair of top-five round picks are the first of former Navigators since the Boston College duo of Sal Frelick and Cody Morissette were picked in the first and second rounds, respectively, in 2021. Counting its three latest draftees, North Shore has produced an all-time total of 59 draftees/signees including 18 since 2019. Frelick became the fifth-ever Navigator to play in MLB, debuting with the Milwaukee Brewers last July. Hagaman joined North Shore following a 2023 Freshman All-America worthy campaign at West Virginia and struck out 11 across 10.2 innings of summer work. He developed into a prospect who was ranked 181st in Baseball America’s Draft Top 500. The 6-foot-4 right-hander had a 5.91 ERA with 49 strikeouts in 35 innings for the Mountaineers of West Virginia this spring, but missed the second half of the season with an elbow injury. A native of nearby Wakefield, the left-handed-hitting Penney was a stalwart all across the dirt during his summer in a North Shore uniform and reached base at a .305 clip while finishing with a double, a home run, seven RBI and seven runs scored in 24 games back in 2022. Penney scored a Notre Dame team-high 58 runs this spring and had 112 in his career, along with 23 homers, 83 RBI and a .384 on-base mark. Blasick came to the North Shore following his sophomore year at West Virginia, where he was primarily a position player before transferring for the following season and making the switch to the mound. He led North Shore with 18 RBI, posted a .362 on-base percentage and stole six bases in 2022, while earning the nod to represent the team at the NECBL All-Star Home Run Derby on Martha's Vineyard. During his senior spring, he pitched in a team-high 24 games for New Orleans and had a 3.93 ERA with 40 strikeouts in 34.1 innings. Stay up to date on the latest Navs news by visiting nsnavs.com and following the team on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. |
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