Mt. Lebanon’s David Shields picked by Royals in 2nd round of MLB Draft

By: Chris Harlan
Sunday, July 14, 2024 | 10:36 PM

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Kansas City Royals scouts came to Mt. Lebanon in April to watch David Shields pitch and stayed around to talk after he struck out 13 batters in a complete-game win.

Their visit that day convinced Blue Devils coach Patt McCloskey that the Royals were thinking seriously about drafting Shields.

“It was the only time all year that I saw guys stick around and really talk to him afterward,” McCloskey said. “And it was some of the top guys from their front office and scouting department. … Usually, as soon as he stopped pitching, the scouts just left. So I thought that indicated they had some interest.”

Kansas City followed through on its interest Sunday night and used a second-round pick in the MLB Draft to take Shields, a hard-throwing left-hander who earned state player of the year honors this spring.

The Royals drafted Shields with the 41st overall pick.

The 6-foot-2, 210-pound Miami (Fla.) recruit pitched and played center field for Mt. Lebanon, which leaned on him to reach the WPIAL Class 6A finals three years in a row. As a senior, Shields went 5-1 on the mound with a 0.96 ERA and 63 strikeouts in 35 innings. At the plate, he batted .383.

“I couldn’t be any happier for a kid that did everything the right way in high school for the last three years,” McCloskey said. “He did everything possible for the team to win and always put the team first. It’s awesome to see someone with that mentality be rewarded.”

In June, Shields was named the state Gatorade Baseball Player of the Year. He also earned the TribLive HSSN Player of the Year award earlier this month.

Shields was the second Mt. Lebanon player drafted highly in the past decade joining Ian Happ, the ninth-overall pick by the Chicago Cubs in 2015.

“Both (drafts) were special to watch,” said McCloskey, Mt. Lebanon’s coach since 2005.

McCloskey said Shields watched the draft at home Sunday night. He couldn’t be reached.

Shields was the second player with WPIAL roots selected in this year’s draft. Mars graduate JJ Wetherholt, a West Virginia infielder, was taken seventh overall by the St. Louis Cardinals.

McCloskey said the first MLB scout to call about Shields reached out in December, and before hanging up, McCloskey asked the scout a question: What caliber of prospect is Shields?

“He said, ‘Everybody is going to come and see him. If they keep coming back, that’s a good sign,’” McCloskey recalled. “They kept coming back.”

For that reason, McCloskey said, he was confident Shields would hear his name called in the first two rounds.

“I just went by the eye test of how many people were there (at games),” he said.

Only four high school pitchers were drafted ahead of Shields. He was the 14th high school player taken overall.

“Athletic and super-projectable, Shields has plenty of raw stuff and it’s easy to dream on more in the tank to come,” MLB.com wrote in its pre-draft analysis. “He has starting pitcher traits, starting with a fastball that’s up to 94 mph now.

“He can throw it to both sides of the plate, and thanks to some deception and solid ride with good extension, it misses a good amount of bats. So does his above-average slider — a low-80s sweeper he can land for strikes and use to expand the zone. He also has good feel for an average changeup.”

Shields won’t turn 18 until September, making his age another plus for pro scouts. Originally scheduled to graduate with the class of 2025, Shields chose to reclassify after his sophomore season and graduated a year early.

The highlight of his Mt. Lebanon career was a no-hitter in the 2023 WPIAL finals to win the 6A title. A bout with mono slowed the start of his senior season this spring, but again Shields pitched the Blue Devils to the WPIAL finals.

He already began taking classes at Miami this summer and working out in South Florida, but now has a decision to make about his baseball future. The 41st pick comes with an assigned slot value of $2.28 million, according to MLB.com.

“He should have a good opportunity in front of him,” McCloskey said. “He did everything the right way for all of these years. For that competitiveness to be rewarded, it’s hard to put into words.”

Chris Harlan is a TribLive reporter covering sports. He joined the Trib in 2009 after seven years as a reporter at the Beaver County Times. He can be reached at charlan@triblive.com.

Tags: Mt. lebanon