more draft doodles

For baseball fans who love this sort of thing – and most do – Baltimore’s selection of Ole Miss’ Anthony Servideo in the MLB draft on Thursday completed a cool historical connection. Servideo’s grandfather was Curt Blefary, who broke into the majors with the Orioles in 1965 and won American League rookie of the year honors. Blefary, who played eight years in the majors, died in 2001, when Servideo was 2. Servideo, a shortstop, was the O’s third-round pick, 74th overall. … All told, seven in-state players were picked in the five rounds of the draft, three from Mississippi State, two from Ole Miss and two high schoolers. Also, former Ocean Springs High star Garrett Crochet was the 11th overall pick out of Tennessee. … Justin Foscue, drafted 14th overall by Texas on Wednesday, is the 13th Mississippi State player to be picked in the first round since the MLB draft started in 1965. State is now tied for 11th place with two others on the list of schools with the most first-round picks. Stanford tops the chart with 24; the SEC leader is Vanderbilt with 18. … The top prep pick from the state was not a surprise: slugger Blaze Jordan from DeSoto Central. It was a surprise to the team that drafted him, Boston, that Jordan lasted late into the third round. Red Sox amateur scouting director Paul Toboni told mlb.com: “Quite frankly, we didn’t think he’d make it that far in the draft. He’s a unique talent. A ton of power upside with a good feel to hit.” The slot value of the 89th pick, per mlb.com, is $667,000. The Red Sox could offer more to entice the 17-year-old State signee to turn pro. … The slot value of the 52nd overall pick, where State’s J.T. Ginn was taken by the New York Mets on Thursday, is $1.4 million. Ginn, currently rehabbing from elbow surgery, turned down $2M-plus two years ago as the 30th pick by the Los Angeles Dodgers. The right-hander has three years of eligibility left at State. The Mets reportedly are confident – and hopeful — he’ll sign. A Mets scouting executive said of Ginn, “He’s got all the qualities of being a top-of-the-rotation guy.” … Detroit’s selection of Biloxi High’s Colt Keith in the fifth round marked the continuation of a trend: All six of the rebuilding Tigers’ picks were hitters, including the No. 1 overall pick, Spencer Torkelson out of Arizona State, and three are third basemen. Keith, an ASU signee, oddly enough, was drafted as a third sacker, though he also played shortstop and pitched. He was Mississippi’s Gatorade player of the year in 2019. “We got a high-ceiling third baseman that we’re excited to get, a left-handed hitter,” Detroit scouting director Scott Pleis told mlb.com.