The MLB Draft took place this week with one Humboldt Crab hearing his name selected — infielder Elijah McNeal was drafted by the San Francisco Giants in the 20th round as the 596th overall pick on Tuesday.
McNeal finished his senior season at Dublin High School earlier this spring, where he batted .312 with a team-high 10 doubles and one home run. McNeal was the lone player on the Crabs’ roster this year to join the team without college experience, joining the Crabs straight from high school ball.
McNeal committed to UC Davis to play baseball, but now with going pro being an option, McNeal will have the chance to weigh his options before the deadline to sign on July 28 at 2 p.m.
This summer with the Crabs, McNeal has totaled 55 at-bats over 15 games and is batting .255 with five walks, three doubles, and nine runs batted in for Humboldt despite being one of the youngest players on the team.
McNeal stands at 6’3” and 180 pounds and the Giants hope that he’ll be able to stick at shortstop as he continues to progress. So far this summer, McNeal has made just one error at shortstop for the Crabs.
“We had a chance to bring him to Oracle for a workout back in early June and get a chance to know him a little bit better and watch his skills on display at Oracle. The smile he had on his face playing out there in that stadium, being somewhat of a local kid, was actually really fun to watch,” San Francisco Giants Senior Director of Amateur Scouting Michael Holmes said of McNeal to MLB.com.
McNeal isn’t the first Northern California shortstop to get drafted by the Giants, with longtime Giants’ shortstop Brandon Crawford following a similar path as he was drafted by the Giants 117th overall in the 2008 draft before winning two World Series and four Gold Gloves with the team.
Several former Humboldt Crabs have appeared in Major League Baseball, as of Wednesday, David Morgan of the San Diego Padres and James Outman of the Los Angeles Dodgers are both on Big League rosters.
Dylan McNeill can be reached at 707-441-0526.