There was a reason dozens of pro scouts crowded around the backstop cage on the Shawnee Mission East baseball field last year to get a look at Joey Wentz.
The 6’5″ lefty was putting up numbers at the high school level that indicated he could be among the top pitching prospects in the country. And a year into his professional career, the 19-year-old is living up to the billing.
This week, the South Atlantic League named Wentz its Most Outstanding Pitcher for 2017. Wentz, who was selected as the 40th overall pick by the Atlanta Braves in last summer’s draft, has been pitching this season with the club’s Class-A affiliate in Rome.
Through August, Wentz has pitched 126.2 innings, striking out 146 and amassing an impressive earned run average of 2.7. In 25 appearances, he’s put together an 8-3 win-loss record.
The Rome Braves are currently 33 and 32 on the year.
