Haley, Spencer, Smith picked in MLB Draft
At least three players with DeSoto County baseball ties were among the players selected in the second day of the Major League Baseball entry draft.
In the 12th round, former Ole Miss pitcher Connor Spencer of Hernando and Lewisburg graduated senior Talon Haley were selected.
Connor Spencer, who also played for Mississippi Gulf Coast and Northwest Mississippi Community colleges, as well as Southeastern Louisiana, was picked in the 12th round by the Chicago Cubs. He prepped under David Lara at Hernando, where he was the 20th ranked pitcher by Perfect Game, and helped the Tigers to the third round of the MHSAA 6A state playoffs.
Talon Haley was selected by the Los Angeles Angels in the 12th round. Tuesday. Haley became the fifth place in Lewisburg baseball history to be drafted by a MLB club.
Haley, who has committed to Vanderbilt, now will choose between going pro or keeping on the college track. Perfect Game ranked him as the number one left handed pitcher in Mississippi and the number five pitcher in the state overall. Haley was also picked as the MHSAA 7A Mr. Baseball. He helped the Patriots with a 5-1 record, 0.55 earned run average and struck out 81 batters.
Lewisburg coach Tyler Scholl said Haley is a “big time player that’s gonna have a big time impact.”
Two rounds later at Round 14, James Smith, who played on a TSSAA Division II-A state runner-up team at Northpoint Christian School, was picked by the New York Mets. Smith was part of a 33-9 Trojans club that won the district championship on its way to the state Spring Fling Final Four tournament in Murfreesboro, Tenn.
Smith, a center fielder and pitcher, played last season at the University of Memphis, where he hit .277 with four homers and 19 runs-batted-in for the Tigers. He made three appearances on the mound, ending with a 0-2 record.
Smith’s freshman season was spent at Northwest Mississippi Community College, where he hit .268 with four homers and 11 RBIs in 31 games for the Rangers.
View the MLB Draft Tracker to see all 20 rounds of the Entry Draft.
