O’Fallon graduate, Swansea native picked in top six rounds of MLB Draft

O’Fallon Township High School graduate Hayden Juenger was selected by the Toronto Blue Jays in the sixth round of Monday afternoon’s MLB Draft.

He was the 182nd overall pick overall.

Pitching out of the bullpen for Missouri State University, Juenger, a junior, posted a 2-2 mark and 3.86 ERA this year with the Bears in 16 appearances, allowing 20 hits and nine earned runs in 21 innings.

At OTHS, Juenger enjoyed a strong two-year career after transferring from Collinsville High School. In 2018, Juenger was the Panthers’ ace, compiling a record of 9-1 and finishing with a 1.55 ERA in 54 innings to lead O’Fallon to the Southwestern Conference title.

Honored as the News-Democrat Large School Player of the Year, Juenger ended his two-year Panthers career with a 16-3 record and 137 strikeouts in 119 innings.

According to MLB.com, Juenger’s slot value would net a signing bonus of around $268,000.

Swansea’s Drew Gray was a third-round pick out of IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida. He had previously attended Belleville East.

The left-handed pitcher posted a 1.88 ERA with 41 strikeouts in 18 innings in his senior season at IMG, a sports and academic training high school. He was ranked as the 179th best prospect in MLB’s top 250 draft prospects rankings.

His slot value as the draft’s 93rd overall pick would net him a signing bonus of about $627,900.

This story was originally published July 12, 2021 at 4:26 PM.