JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Four players who played high school baseball in the area were selected during the three days of the Major League Baseball draft.
Paxon graduate Lebarron Johnson, Atlantic Coast High product Tanner Bauman, Pierce County’s Cole Royer and First Coast’s Hunter Carns all heard their names called.
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First Coast High’s Carns, a four-time All-News4JAX selection and the player of the year in 2023, was the next to last selection in the 20 round draft, going at pick 614 to the Diamondbacks. Carns was projected as the No. 152 prospect by MLB.com but will likely stay at Florida State. He’ll be draft-eligible again as a sophomore in 2026.
Another local high school player, Pierce County pitcher Royer was the 601st overall pick in Round 20 by the Yankees.
Johnson was a fifth-round pick of the Rockies, going at No. 139 overall. He’s a 2020 graduate of Paxon and current redshirt junior at the University of Texas is 11-9 in his career and has a big arm. The 6-4, 210-pound righthander has long had the talent to make it to pro ball. He was highly regarded in high school but has developed through the college ranks.
Bauman, a 6-4, 225-pound lefty, went to the Yankees in the ninth round at No. 271. He transferred to Auburn after tie at St. Johns River State College. He was 7-3 in two seasons with the Tigers and whiffed 89 in 94.1 innings pitched.
Carns and Royer were the first local players taken straight from the high school ranks since Fletcher pitcher Malachi Witherspoon by the Diamondbacks in the 12th round in 2022.
MLB draft notables
Round, Pick, Pos., Player, College/Local tie, MLB team
1. (6) TWP Jac Caglianone, Florida, Royals
1. (13) OF James Tibbs III, Florida State, Giants
1. (14) 3B Cam Smith, Florida State, Cubs
3. (96) P Brandon Neely, Florida, Red Sox
4. (123) C Marco Dinges, Florida State, Brewers
4. (126) OF Jaime Ferrer, Florida State, Twins
5. (139) P Lebarron Johnson, Texas/Paxon, Rockies
7. (219) P Carson Dorsey, Florida State, Orioles
8. (234) P Gavin Adams, Florida State, Pirates
9. (271) P Tanner Bauman, Auburn/St. Johns River State/Atlantic Coast, Yankees
10. (288) P Fisher Jameson, Florida, Rockies
14. (410) P Yoel Tejeda Jr., Florida State, Nationals
15. (445) P Conner Whittaker, Florida State, Guardians
18. (538) P Ryan Slater, Florida, Giants
20. (590) 3B Colby Shelton, Florida, Nationals
20. (601) P Cole Royer, Pierce County, Yankees
20. (614) C Hunter Carns, First Coast, Diamondbacks