Congratulations Mitchell Bratt - Newest Player for the Texas Rangers!

The Texas Rangers made a pitch for Newmarket’s Mitchell Bratt.

Bratt made the catch.

The American League club selected the recently turned 18-year-old left-handed pitcher in the fifth round of the 2021 Major League Baseball draft Monday afternoon. The Rangers used the 134th selection in the three-day, 20-round draft which started July 11 to lure the Florida State University recruit to the professional ranks.

The Rangers unexpectedly exceeded the $418,000 slot money allotted for that spot in the draft to convince Bratt to turn pro.

"It still hasn't hit me, to be honest," said Bratt, from Morgantown, West Virginia where he recently completed the MLB Draft League season. "One minute I'm going to school and in the next I'm getting a call about slot money.

"It's surreal. It's the first step to the big leagues. That road starts now."

Following four months of playing baseball on the road in the United States, Bratt hopes to spend a few days in Newmarket before heading to Arlington, Texas for a physical and contract signing. He expects to start his pro career at the Rangers' development complex in Arizona.

A three-time member of the Baseball Canada junior program, Bratt recently completed Grade 12 at Newmarket High School. He has pitched and trained in leagues in Georgia and West Virginia since March 10 due to health and safety restrictions resulting from COVID-19 that have curtailed sports activities in Ontario since March 2020.

In the MLB Draft League in West Virginia, Bratt used a four-pitch mix to finish second in strikeouts and innings pitched against players already competing at the NCAA level.

Bratt started playing youth baseball in the Newmarket Baseball Association. He has also played for the Brampton Royals and Toronto Mets.