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White Sox sign National Gatorade Player of the Year
Refugio grad Jared Kelley committed to pitch at the University of Texas, but will likely be heading straight to the pros after the White Sox selected him 47th overall in the 2020 MLB Draft. (Courtesy: @JaredKelley4/Twitter)

White Sox sign National Gatorade Player of the Year

REFUGIO, Texas (BVM) — The Major League Baseball Draft looked a bit different than it has in the past years. Due to the COVID-19 outbreak, the draft took place in five rounds over two days. Many prospects did not get to fulfill their dream of being drafted by a major league team. But Jared Kelley is one prospect who will get to live out his dream. 

Kelley, who graduated from Refugio High School in the spring, won the Gatorade National Baseball Player of the Year award and committed to playing college ball at the University of Texas. 

At 6-foot-3, 215 pounds, Kelley brings a dominant presence to the diamond. Before the spring season was canceled, he posted a 0.00 ERA and also had three wins and 34 strikeouts under his belt. 

Throughout his high school career at Refugio he lost only three games, posting an ERA of 0.43. Kelley also made 23 appearances where he did not allow a hit. 

Dominating in high school led multiple college offers, but major league teams also had their eyes on Kelley. Ranked as baseball’s No. 12 overall prospect, according to MLB.com, projections showed him being drafted in the first round. Considering he was the No. 1 high school prospect in the nation, it was somewhat surprising to see Kelley fall to the second round where he was drafted by the Chicago White Sox with the 47th pick.

Refugio had never produced a drafted player prior to Kelley, who is considered to be the best Texas prep prospect since Jameson Taillon who was drafted second overall by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 2010 MLB Draft. Another notable big league pitcher from Refugio is the great Nolan Ryan. Although Ryan is from Refugio, he attended Alvin High School. 

Ryan is one of the greatest pitchers of all-time and is not someone that many pitchers are compared to in today’s game. But with the consistent velocity of Kelley’s fastball, the comparison should be noted.

Being a top prospect in baseball isn’t the only thing that matters to Kelley. He has shown an extraordinary amount of character throughout his high school career. When Hurricane Harvey hit, Kelley volunteered many hours to help those who had been affected by the destruction. He cut down trees that had been destroyed and he helped deliver supplies and food to people who needed it. 

Kelley also puts in work in the classroom. Throughout high school he didn’t have a single grade that dropped below 96%. Kelley also stayed involved in the community by helping at a local school, and also helped spread the game of baseball to the younger generation by volunteering his time as an umpire. 

While participating in the Area Code Games in California, Kelley took time out of his day to play baseball with kids undergoing treatment at Rady Children’s Hospital. 

While Kelley had planned to continue pitching in the Lone Star State in college, he’ll be heading to the Windy City instead.

“The end goal is to get to the big-leagues,” Kelley said in an interview with the White Sox general manager and scouting director. “You never know what can happen.”

That goal came true on June 27 when Kelley officially signed a minor league contract with the White Sox. He will forgo his college career with the Texas Longhorns and begin in the minors with Chicago after earning a $3 million signing bonus.