Pat Delano, Braintree High Standout Pitcher, Drafted by Red Sox

Seven months after , and following a season in which he maintained a miniscule ERA and was named MVP, senior Pat Delano was drafted by the Boston Red Sox in the 35th round of the Major League Baseball draft.

The right-handed pitcher, who underwent Tommy John Surgery after his sophomore season, roared back this spring, striking out 50 in 57 innings and slugging four home runs, according to ESPN, which ran an article on Delano in its high school section this week.

"I was speechless," Delano told ESPN. "I didn't know what was going on, but it's such a good feeling. I can't even really put it into words. You watch the Red Sox so much, and you go to so many games at Fenway, and to hear you get picked...I don't know how to explain it. It's surreal." 

Prior to his injury in 2010, Delano had excelled from his earliest days playing baseball. During his freshmen and sophomore years as a Wamp, he pitched 98 innings, going 7-1 and striking out 141 while only allowing 25 earned runs and 59 hits.

On July 28, 2010, Dr. James Andrews, a world-renowed Tommy John surgeon, operated on Delano in Birmingham, AL. He underwent constant physical therapy for the next 12 months before throwing a baseball again. "It was a long haul," Delano said last November announcing his intent to sign with Vanderbilt.

Delano – 6 feet 7 inches tall and 250 pounds – is the 12th high school player from Massachusetts since 1999 to get drafted by the Red Sox, according to ESPN. He told the website that he is unsure whether he will join the Sox or go to Vanderbilt. Delano has until Aug. 15 to decide. ESPN also reported that new draft rules do not allow a team to offer more than $100,000, including a bonus, to players picked after the 10th round.

Braintree ended its season with a first-round playoff loss to Taunton, and Delano was named MVP of the Bay State Conference's Carey Division.