Florida State caps off 2021 MLB Draft with four Noles selected on final day

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (Seminoles.com) — Florida State pitchers Jack Anderson, Conor Grady and Tyler Ahearn, and outfielder Elijah Cabell, were all selected Tuesday on the final day of the 2021 MLB Draft. Anderson was taken 465^th overall in the 16^th round by the Detroit Tigers; Cabell was selected by the Cardinals in the 17^th round with the 511^th overall pick; and Grady was drafted in the 18^th round, 527^th overall, by the Baltimore Orioles.

Ahearn was taken in the 20^th and final round by the Colorado Rockies with the 590^th pick.

Anderson is FSU’s first selection by the Tigers since Drew Carlton in 2017. The last FSU outfielder taken by the Cardinals was James Ramsey in 2012’s first round and the Orioles had not selected a Seminole since DJ Stewart went in the first round in 2015.

Anderson finished 2021 with a 2-0 record and a team-high five saves, with a 2.47 earned run average and 45 strikeouts against just seven walks over 40.0 innings. In his third career start and first of 2021, Anderson was perfect over the first 6.2 innings against Mercer in Florida State’s 8-1 win.

All five of Anderson’s saves came over his final 10 appearances, against Troy twice, at No. 2 Notre Dame, Clemson and against Southern Miss in the opening game of the Oxford Regional in the NCAA Tournament.

Both his wins came in the Atlantic Coast Conference, against Louisville and Clemson.

Anderson opened the season with three walks against North Florida, then ran off 36 straight strikeouts before allowing his next walk. Over three seasons, Anderson had a 4-1 record, 2.75 ERA and 66 strikeouts in 59 innings.

Cabell, from Winter Park, Florida, is one of the more powerful bats in the 2021 draft, mashing 15 home runs with 40 RBI and 25 runs scored for the Seminoles last season. The redshirt sophomore hit a career-best .264.

For his career, Cabell hit 29 home runs, including a 489-foot blast against Pitt in 2021. He had a four-game stretch with a home run in midseason, the first FSU player since 2015 to do so. His 15^th and final home run came against Southern Miss in the Oxford Regional in the NCAA Tournament. In the outfield, Cabell did not have an error in 57 chances.

Grady, from Tampa, made 15 starts in 2021, finishing 5-2 with a 4.05 earned run average. The redshirt junior struck out 99 batters in 73.1 innings pitched and finished Top 20 in the ACC in ERA, opponent batting average, innings pitched and strikeouts. He started all 14 regular season weekends.

Grady was named the national Player of the Week for his game against Troy, when he struck out a career-high 13 batters in just five innings. A month earlier, against North Carolina, Grady struck out 10 batters and allowed just three hits in FSU’s 8-0 rubber-match win. At No. 6 Miami, Grady allowed just one hit and struck out seven in a 12-0 FSU win.

For his career, Grady was 20-11 with 218 strikeouts in 181.2 innings pitched and a 3.86 earned run average. He was the national pitcher of the week twice and the ACC Pitcher of the Week once, as a sophomore in 2019 when he struck out 20 batters in 12.1 innings against Florida and Clemson.

Tyler Ahearn had his best season as a Seminole in 2021, finishing with a 3.48 earned run average and 2-1 record over 15 appearances. Regularly touching 98 on the radar gun, Ahearn struck out 21 batters on the season. His ERA was nearly two runs below his career 5.43 mark, and he was 5-1 in 44 career appearances.

In 2021, his two wins came in consecutive appearances against Stetson and Troy. He threw a season-high 3.1 innings against FGCU and struck out a career-high five batters vs. Pitt in late February. Over his last 13 outings of the season, he allowed an earned run just twice.

Ahearn is FSU’s second pick in the 2021 draft by the Rockies, following eighth-round pick Robby Martin on Monday.

FSU’s seven draft picks over 20 rounds were the most for the program since 1995, when eight Seminoles were taken over the first 600 picks.

2021 MLB Draft
Matheu Nelson, Catcher, Comp Round A, 35^th overall, Cincinnati Reds
Robby Martin, Outfielder, Round 8, 230^th overall, Colorado Rockies
Hunter Perdue, Pitcher, Round 10, 299^th overall, Miami Marlins
Jack Anderson, Pitcher, Round 16, 465^th overall, Detroit Tigers
Elijah Cabell, Outfielder, Round 17, 511^th overall, St. Louis Cardinals
Conor Grady, Pitcher, Round 18, 527^th overall, Baltimore Orioles
Tyler Ahearn, Pitcher, Round 20, 590^th overall, Colorado Rockies