There is an extraordinary number of highly regarded shortstops who are eligible for this year’s MLB Draft.
Aidan West, a Maryland high school standout with Valley ties, may be among those selected on the draft’s first day.
West’s father, Gavin, graduated from Selinsgrove High in 1987. West’s grandfather, Eddie, was a 1956 NFL draft pick out of North Carolina State who worked at Lewisburg Penitentiary until his death in 1987.
Perfect Game, a scouting service that has given West its highest grade as a prospect, ranks him No. 102 among high school players and the 38th-best shortstop in that group. There are six shortstops ranked in Perfect Game’s top 10.
However, West is a fixture in most Top 150 draft lists, typically found just beyond the first 100 players. MLB.com ranks him at No. 123 on a list that includes draft-eligible college players. The Athletic’s Keith Law slots him at No. 100, pegging West as “a third-round talent.”
“Not every single mock (-draft creator) came out to see me during my senior season,” said Aidan West, who was all-state at Long Reach in Columbia, Maryland, “but every single decision-maker for every MLB team pretty much did.”
There is generally a lot to like about a 6-foot-2, 210-pound middle infielder who runs the 60-yard dash in 6.53 seconds, has an 88-mph right-handed throw across the diamond, and rips baseballs left-handed with an average exit velocity around 97 mph. Many recruiting sites suggest a move to third base could be in his future.
“I’m super-confident in my abilities. I had a great season. I performed really well and pretty much left it all out on the table,” Aidan West said. “It hasn’t been up to me for awhile now. It’s up to them if they take you or not.
“It’s now really just seeing how it plays out, but having this opportunity to not know what’s going to happen is definitely huge, that I’ve put myself in this position.”
The irony isn’t lost on West’s father, who never knew his father as a pro-caliber athlete. Now, his son, who always wanted to be a pro baseball player when he grew up, will likely soon have that option.
“This has just always been part of (Aidan’s) flow, part of who he was,” said Gavin West. “He wanted to (follow in Eddie’s footsteps), but it’s less of a conscious ‘I want to be like (my grandfather)’ than ‘I am like him.’
“Aidan’s path was very self-designed, and we were just kinda along for the ride. He loves the game; he loves the process. Growing up with a dad that probably would have wished he was on the field a lot more than he got on the field, I’ve taken every advantage to be on the field with him as long as I can. I thank Aidan for wanting me along for the ride.”
The first three rounds of the MLB Draft will be televised by MLB Network beginning Sunday at 6 p.m. The draft concludes Monday with 17 rounds.
West signed with his grandfather’s alma mater, NC State. If he decides to play in college rather than begin a pro baseball career, he will be draft-eligible again 2028.
The family has hired the Los Angeles-based Wasserman group to represent West. Their primary contact at the agency is Alex Ott, a former pitcher at Penn.
“We’re in a win-win situation,” said Gavin West. “He ends up at his dream school with a chance to play ACC baseball and then see what happens in three years, or go now and have the opportunity and the resources that MLB has to offer.”