CM grad Aidan Major drafted by Cleveland Guardians in fifth round
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Central Mountain graduate Aidan Major, a right-handed pitcher, was selected by the Cleveland Guardians in the fifth round of the MLB Draft on Monday afternoon. Major, selected as the 146th pick, is West Virginia University's former hurler who had his name called minutes after the Texas Rangers selected David Hagaman.
Major spent just three seasons at West Virginia. As a junior, he put up five wins, culminating to a 9-5 overall record for the Mountaineers when he stepped on the hill. Major's overall record was 5-4 and he put in solid work when on the bump. He threw 77 strikeouts this past season, including a season-high 13 at home against Oklahoma State.
He threw eight apiece against UCF and BYU, and five each against Texas Tech and Baylor in consecutive outings. Major has also proved he can go the distance. He has nine games where he's pitched five innings or more, including six or more innings in four of West Virginia's first five games of the season.
As a sophomore Major posted a 4.88 ERA with a 4-2 record in just three starts and 48 innings pitched. He gave up 44 hits and walked 14 batters while striking out 59. As a first year player Major boasted a career-best 3.49 ERA on the bump, going a perfect 3-0 in 11 appearances and five starts. He pitched just over 28 innings, gave up 17 hits and 12 runs with 11 errors while walking 21 batters.
He struck out 31 of those batters in the 120 that he faced.
A native of Mill Hall pitching at Central Mountain three seasons ago, Major put on a show for the Wildcats in his two-year varsity stint (no junior year in 2020 due to COVID). He went 8-1 overall during his senior campaign with a 0.97 ERA in 12 appearances and 10 starts. He threw two complete games and had two shutouts as well, respectively, with a no-hitter in the mix.
As the Wildcats' ace pitcher, Major pitched 65 innings and threw 109 strikeouts with just 34 walks in 261 batters faced. Major helped the Wildcats make a run to the PIAA Class 5A state tournament, where Central Mountain fell to champion Bethel Park in a 1-0, nine-inning thriller.
As a sophomore in 2019, Major held a 2.68 ERA, going 2-1 in six appearances and three starts. As a main relief pitcher, Major threw over 15 innings, only gave up seven hits and struck out 25 batters. He saw 75 batters in his first varsity season, which was fifth on the team.
With his 146th pick selection, Major also picks up a worthy check of $466,900.