New England baseball fans might remember Sebastian Keane as the local kid who turned down an opportunity to sign a six-figure contract with the Red Sox out of high school.
Keane was one of the top high school prospects in the country in 2019 after an illustrious high school career at North Andover High in Massachusetts. He set the school’s all-time career strikeouts record and led the Scarlet Knights to a Super Eight championship as a senior.
Shortly before he finished off his high school career, he was drafted in the 11th round of the 2019 MLB Draft by the Red Sox. The hometown team tried to make the finances work by shifting money from higher draft picks, but Keane chose instead to honor his commitment to Northeastern. He was the first Northeastern player to honor a college commitment after a selection in the MLB Draft.
Keane recently joined the New England Baseball Journal Podcast to share memories of his draft experience.
“I was definitely looking forward to going to college,” Keane said. “Obviously, I want to play professional baseball after college. I didn’t think it was the right time for me and my family. I just didn’t get the right amount of money out of high school.”
Keane had a promising start to his freshman season at Northeastern before the season was cut short due to the pandemic. He came back this spring and helped lead the Huskies to a CAA title and an appearance in the NCAA tournament.
“Honestly, I’ve never regretted that decision to go to college,” Keane said. “I know I wouldn’t have played (minor league baseball) anyway last year during a COVID season. The year you get drafted, you only pitch about 10 innings anyway. I don’t regret that decision at all.”
This summer, Keane will play for the Chatham Anglers of the Cape League.
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