Josh Almonte was sitting on the subway when he received a phone call that may change his life.
He was headed to his Corona home yesterday afternoon after school when his phone began buzzing. It was Toronto Blue Jays area scout Michael Pesce informing the Long Island City outfielder the club had taken him in the 22nd round (685th overall) of the MLB First-Year Player Draft.
“I didn’t want to seem crazy on the train, so I stayed quiet,” he said. “On the inside, I was definitely yelling.”
A late bloomer, Almonte broke out over the summer with the New York Grays travel organization and drew the attention of several major league teams with his broad 6-foot-3 frame, speed, arm strength from the outfield and power. He became the first Long Island City player to get drafted directly out of high school since Paul Jata in 1967. He certainly will be the last, as the failing school will be closing at the end of the month and reopened next year as Global Scholars Academy at Long Island City.
An Rong Xu
ONE ONLY: Long Island City’s Josh Almonte, picked by Toronto in the 22nd round of the MLB draft, is the first ever, and last, selection from the school.
“It’s definitely exciting, it’s what I dreamed of,” Almonte said. “I feel honored to represent my school the way I did.”
Almonte was one of three New York City high school players chosen on the final day of the draft. George Washington center fielder Fernelys Sanchez, who just returned from a broken left fibula, went to the Atlanta Braves in the 16th round (509th overall) and Grand Street Campus shortstop Jose Cuas, a Maryland recruit, was taken by the Blue Jays in the 40th round (1,125th). Former Clinton shortstop Melvin Mercedes, who just finished a JUCO year at Central Florida, was drafted by the Oakland A’s in the 16th round (499th).
Other notables included Iona College third baseman Chris Burke, the MAAC Player of the Year, who went to the San Diego Padres in the 18th round (555th); Manhattan College center fielder Anthony Vega was selected in the 30th round by the Baltimore Orioles (912th); and LIU pitcher Justin Topa went to the Cincinnati Reds in the 33rd round (1,012th). Former Poly Prep center fielder Kevin Heller of Amherst College was taken by the Boston Red Sox in the 40th round (1,231th).
