Georgia Tech catcher Kevin Parada is now the Yellow Jackets’ latest first-round pick.
Parada was selected with the 11th overall pick by the New York Mets in the first round of the MLB draft on Sunday night. Parada was in Los Angeles at the draft with his family when the pick was made.
“It’s just an awesome feeling right now, and I’m very thankful for everything that’s going on right now,” Parada said on a videoconference with media conducted by the Mets.
Parada became the 12th Tech player to be drafted in the first round and the sixth in the past 22 drafts. The slot value for the signing bonus for the No. 11 pick is $4.8 million.
Parada, who was the top catcher in college baseball in the country and one of its top hitters, also became the third Jackets catcher to be taken in the top 15 picks since 2007, following Matt Wieters (fifth in 2007) and Joey Bart (second in 2018). Since 2000, only one other school (Miami) has had even two catchers drafted in the first round.
“I'm just happy that the Mets are picking me. They believe in me, and I believe in them now because they've put me in this situation, and I'm excited to take full advantage of this opportunity that they've given me."
“A lot of catchers have come back (to Tech) and I’m a part of that lineage right now, that we get to be a part of the pipeline of Georgia Tech catchers that we’re here for each other,” Parada said. “It’s a brotherhood like no other, and I know if I (ever) need anything I can definitely reach out to any of them to get some advice.”
Parada was a unanimous All-American and finished the regular season sixth in Division I in home runs (26, a school record), second in total bases (174) and third in RBIs (85). Even with his power, he was fourth toughest in the ACC to strike out.
Parada had been projected to go as high as third in mock drafts.
“I’m just happy that the Mets are picking me,” Parada said. “They believe in me, and I believe in them now because they’ve put me in this situation, and I’m excited to take full advantage of this opportunity that they’ve given me.”
Tech coach Danny Hall was on hand in Los Angeles to celebrate with Parada and his family, from nearby Pasadena, Calif.
“I’m extremely proud of Kevin and his night (Sunday night),” Hall said in a statement. “To be drafted by a great organization like the New York Mets and to join other Georgia Tech greats as a first-rounder is a tremendous honor. Kevin has worked extremely hard for this moment and to see it all pay off in-person here on this great stage in his hometown is a thrill for me as well. He will continue to represent us well as the next in a very long line of terrific catchers from Tech and I couldn’t be more happy for him.”
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