Baseball

Micah Yonamine had a pretty good idea it would either be the Philadelphia Phillies or the Arizona Diamondbacks if he heard his name called today in the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft. That made the emotional roller coaster for prospects listening to each name called a little easier, but when it was time for either of the two teams to make their picks, it got stressful real quick. “Every time (those picks) came up I made sure I was […]

After ‘Iolani’s Shane Sasaki was taken with the 99th overall pick by the Tampa Bay Rays in the third round of the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft on Tuesday, six more players from Hawaii high schools or the University of Hawaii were selected on Day 3 of the draft. UPDATE: Sasaki says he’s agreed to deal with Rays with signing bonus of $475,000. >> The Minnesota Twins selected UH right-hander Dylan Thomas in the 13th round, No 389 overall. […]

Loyola Marymount senior Codie Paiva, a 2015 Kamehameha alumnus, was selected by the Miami Marlins in the 22nd round (No. 651 overall) of the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft on Wednesday. The 6-foot-5 right-hander was named the West Coast Conference pitcher of the year this season. He finished the year 8-5 with a 1.91 ERA and 90 strikeouts in 103 2/3 innings. Paiva ended the season with back-to-back complete-game performances in wins over Gonzaga and Brigham Young and then […]

‘Iolani outfielder Shane Sasaki, a first-team Honolulu Star-Advertiser All-State selection and runner-up in the state player of the year voting, was selected by the Tampa Bay Rays in the third round (No. 99 overall) of the 2019 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft on Tuesday. Sasaki’s .565 batting average was tops on the All-State first team and he added five homers with 26 RBIs and 26 runs scored. UPDATE: A jet-lagged Shane Sasaki says he expects to sign with Rays […]

Shane Sasaki came home for graduation on Saturday. He will return to the mainland as a professional baseball player. The Tampa Bay Rays selected the ‘Iolani center fielder in the third round, the 99th selection, of the 2019 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft today. The speedy senior came into the high school season rated as the No. 1 prospect in the islands. Then he measured up in every possible way on the field, and at the plate. “I’m speechless, […]