The wait may have been longer than expected, but with the fifth pick in the 21st round of the Major League Baseball first-year player draft, the Baltimore Orioles took College of William and Mary junior right-hander Kevin Landry.
Landry was taken with the 626th pick overall, becoming the 12th Tribe player selected in the last seven years. Landry was a third-team All-CAA selection this past season, leading the conference in strikeouts (91) and ranking fourth in opponent’s batting average (.244) while tying for fifth in overall innings pitched.
Landry entered the season ranked as the 81st best college prospect by Baseball America, but struggled coming out of the bullpen during the first half of the season. Landry improved when moved into a starting role halfway through the season, a role in which he thrived during the summer with the Bourne Braves of the Cape Cod League.
Landry will likely return to the Braves this summer in hopes of duplicating his performance from a year ago, where he went 4-1 with a 1.80 ERA to go along with 44 strikeouts. Landry is not currently listed on the Braves website.
A good summer performance could help increase Landry’s signing bonus, a key factor in whether or not Landry will return to the College. As a junior, Landry has a final year of eligibility left if he chooses not to sign with the Orioles.