Mt. Lebanon pitcher David Shields signs with Kansas City Royals, forgoes college baseball

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Monday, July 22, 2024 | 3:56 PM


Mt. Lebanon’s David Shields is turning pro.

The left-handed pitcher has signed with the Kansas City Royals, who drafted him in the second round of the MLB Draft, forgoing a scholarship to play baseball at Miami (Fla.). Shields posted a photo on social media showing him signing his contract with the message: “Let’s get started KC.”

Shields signed for $2.3 million, according to an MLB.com report. The slot value assigned to the 41st overall pick was $2.28 million.

The 6-foot-2, 210-pounder pitched and played center field for Mt. Lebanon, which reached 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. He batted .383.

Shields was named the state’s Gatorade baseball player of the year in June.

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.

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