MINNEAPOLIS, MN — The Minnesota Twins announced today the signing of their first-round pick, right-handed pitcher Chase Petty from Mainland Regional High School (NJ), whom they selected with the 26th overall pick in the 2021 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft.
The 6-foot-1, 190-pound right-hander was a four-year starter for the Mustangs. His prep career culminated this season, when he was named the 2021 New Jersey Gatorade Player of the Year after going 6-1 with a 1.15 ERA (48.2 IP, 8 ER) and 99 strikeouts compared to just 17 walks his senior season. He threw a no-hitter on April 28 vs. Millville, the same high school that Los Angeles-AL’s Mike Trout was drafted out of in the first round in 2009. Petty fanned a career-high 18 batters with just one walk in 7.0 innings in the start.
The 18-year-old was ranked the 27th-best prospect entering the draft by MLB.com and 29th best by Baseball America. He was also listed as the second-best right-handed pitcher and ninth-best high school player in the country by Perfect Game. He’s from Somers Points, New Jersey, the same hometown as Twins pitcher Cody Stashak, a 13th-round selection in the 2015 First-Year Player Draft.
Petty will report to the CenturyLink Sports Complex in Fort Myers on Tuesday.
