Four Cavaliers Selected in 2022 MLB Draft

See which UVA baseball players heard their names called in the MLB Draft

Author:
Matt Newton
Publish date:
Jul 20, 2022 11:26 AM EDT

For the 15th time in UVA baseball history, four Cavaliers heard their names called at the MLB Draft. Nate Savino, Brandon Neeck, Chris Newell, and Matt Wyatt will have the opportunity play professional baseball after getting selected in the 2022 MLB Draft over the past few days.

Left-handed pitcher Nate Savino was the first Cavalier to come off the board and he was the second player to be drafted on the second day of the MLB Draft, as the Arizona Diamondbacks selected him with the 82nd overall pick in the third round.

In 15 starts this season, Savino recorded a 3.69 ERA and struck out 79 batters in 78.0 innings of work. He pitched a complete-game shutout in the ACC opener against Duke, needing just 103 pitches to get the job done, and garnered ACC Pitcher of the Week honors for his performance. Savino was also included on the Golden Spikes Award Midseason watch list. In his three seasons at Virginia, Savino pitched 143.1 innings, totaling 123 strikeouts to 53 walks and turning in a combined record of 10-9.

Savino joins two former Wahoos in the Diamondbacks' organization: Jake McCarthy (2016-2018) and Pavin Smith (2015-2017).

Another lefty on the UVA pitching staff was the next to hear his name called as Brandon Neeck was selected by the Los Angeles Dodgers with the 285th overall pick in the ninth round of the MLB Draft.

A slightly down 2022 season caused Neeck to fall to the ninth around, as he registered a 4.04 ERA and had 57 strikeouts in 42.1 innings pitched. That was a substantial drop-off after having a lights-out season in 2021. In 22 appearances last spring, Neeck recorded a 1.93 ERA and struck out 40 batters in 23.1 innings of work. He was a main contributor to the UVA pitching staff that got the Hoos back to the College World Series for the first time since 2015. In four years as a reliever at Virginia, Neeck posted a 3.33 career ERA and amassed 101 strikeouts in 67.2 total innings.

Neeck was not the only Wahoo to be drafted by the Dodgers this week, as center fielder Chris Newell was selected by the Dodgers with the 405th overall pick in the 13th round.

In his three-year career at Virginia, Newell appeared in 130 games, totaling 123 hits, 101 runs, 21 home runs, 86 RBI, and a .278 batting average. In his third and final season, Newell batted .258 and recorded 32 RBI, 12 home runs, 49 hits, 51 runs, and boasted a .991 fielding percentage. He was named the Co-National Freshman of the Year and a Second-Team All-American by Collegiate Baseball in 2020.

Brandon Neeck and Chris Newell join former Virginia baseball star Chris Taylor (2010-2012) in the Dodgers' organization.

Lastly, right-handed pitcher Matt Wyatt was selected with one of the final picks in the draft. The Tampa Bay Rays picked Wyatt with the 614th overall pick in the 20th round.

In three seasons at UVA, Wyatt appeared in 42 games and totaled 79 strikeouts in 76.2 innings pitched. Injuries limited Wyatt to just 15 games in his final season as a Cavalier, but he played a crucial role in Virginia's run to the College World Series in 2021. Wyatt's finest performances as a Wahoo came in elimination games during the 2021 NCAA Tournament. He pitched five shutout innings against South Carolina and recorded eight strikeouts in 5.2 innings in a winner-take-all Super Regional game against Dallas Baptist. Wyatt was also credited with his first-career save against Tennessee at the College World Series.

Virginia has now had 143 players selected in the MLB Draft in program history, with 94 of those draft picks coming in the last 19 seasons that Brian O'Connor has been leading the program. UVA has had at least one player drafted within the first five rounds in 17 of the last 19 MLB drafts.

Nate Savino, Brandon Neeck, Chris Newell, Matt Wyatt - Virginia Cavaliers baseball players selected in the 2022 MLB Draft — *Four Cavaliers heard their names called at the 2022 MLB Draft*
Courtesy of Matt Riley/Virginia Athletics

For the first time since 2017, no high school players who are committed to Virginia were selected in the MLB Draft. That is a significant victory for UVA pitching coach Drew Dickinson, as the Cavaliers have grown accustomed to seeing some of their top incoming arm talents choose to turn pro before they even arrive on Grounds. This season, some schools had as many as seven (Vanderbilt) or even eight (LSU) committed players in their recruiting class drafted by MLB organizations. Virginia is fortunate to have its entire 2022 recruiting class, which includes several talented pitchers, remain intact through the MLB Draft.

Perhaps the most surprising instance this year is Jack O'Connor, a standout right-handed pitcher for Bishop O'Connell in Arlington, Virginia. MLB's Draft Tracker projected O'Connor as the No. 126-ranked prospect available ahead of the draft, meaning O'Connor was predicted to be drafted within the first five rounds. Instead, O'Connor's name was not called and one of the most talented pitchers in the recruiting class of 2022 will be joining the UVA baseball program this fall.

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