NC State’s Nick Swiney taken in MLB Draft by Giants; 5 other NC prospects go as well

On the second and final night of the 2020 MLB Draft, three collegiate prospects and three high school prospects from the state of North Carolina were drafted.

N.C. State pitcher Nick Swiney was selected 67th overall by the San Francisco Giants. The pick was the first of San Francisco’s two compensation picks in the second round.

Alec Burleson, an outfielder from East Carolina University, was selected by the St. Louis Cardinals in the second round (70th overall). Jack Hartman, a pitcher from Appalachian State, was drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the fourth round (108th overall).

Two high school pitchers from Cary were selected. Liam Norris, a left hander out of Green Hope High School, was taken by the Diamondbacks in the third round (90th overall) and Koen Moreno, a right hander from Panther Creek High School, was selected by the Cubs in the fifth round (147th overall).

Jagger Haynes, a left-handed pitcher from West Columbus High School in Cerro Gordo, was taken by the Padres in the fifth round (139th overall).

Swiney enters the same organization as college teammate Patrick Bailey, who was selected by the Giants in the first round on Wednesday as the No. 13 pick. Swiney spent his first two seasons with the Wolfpack as a relief pitcher before making four starts this season and leading ACC pitchers with four wins. Following a 6-0 win against Purdue on Feb. 29, the junior was named ACC Pitcher of the Week and Collegiate Baseball National Player of the Week.

He was awarded Collegiate Baseball Second Team All-American honors at the end of this season.

In a recent virtual press conference, Swiney said he’d only been off the mound three times since N.C. State played Virginia on March 8. To make up for it, he’d been throwing every day, lifting weights, and even built his parents a patio.

Swiney was No. 78 on MLB.com’s top-200 prospect list, and was ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel’s 10th-best available heading into round 2.