University of Maine junior second baseman Quinn McDaniel said he is “pretty excited” for the upcoming Major League Baseball draft because he’s expected to be picked.
The first two rounds of the draft, held in Seattle, will be conducted on Sunday, beginning at 7 p.m. Rounds three through 10 will be held starting at 2 p.m. Monday, and rounds 11 through 20 will begin at 2 p.m. Tuesday.
McDaniel, a two-time All-America East first teamer from Eliot, said he’s expecting to get a call on Monday, but he’s not sure which round.
He hit .354 for the America East-champion Black Bears this past season, with 16 homers, 45 runs batted in and 77 runs scored. He stole 32 bases in 38 attempts. He had a .513 on-base percentage and .688 slugging percentage. McDaniel also had 14 doubles and a triple.
His 1.45 runs per game were third most in the nation among players at 295 Division I schools.
He drew 60 walks in 53 games and his 1.13 walks per game were also third most in the country. His on-base percentage was 12th. He was tied for 17th in stolen bases and 15th in stolen bases per game (.60).
Defensively, he made 10 errors on 177 chances and turned 20 double plays.
McDaniel attended a camp for draft-eligible college and high school players from June 20-25 in Phoenix, Arizona.
“It was awesome. It was a super cool experience,” McDaniel said. “I took batting practice and infield practice. There was strength and conditioning testing and I had a chance to meet with teams and some of their higher-ups. You get to know them face-to-face. They pick your brain and you could pick theirs.
“I thought it went really well. I feel like I am a little more prepared for the draft,” added McDaniel, a former Marshwood High School of South Berwick star.
He was a career .333 hitter at UMaine with 32 homers, 56 stolen bases, 174 runs scored and 111 runs batted in.
He said his three years at UMaine were very beneficial.
“I grew a lot as a person. I learned a lot about myself. My game has grown tremendously,” said McDaniel. “I’m super grateful to Coach [Nick] Derba for the opportunity he gave me.”
McDaniel said he would be willing to play different positions like the outfield in pro baseball, feeling that becoming a multi-position player would help his chances of moving up.
He said being part of a UMaine team that earned the program’s first America East tournament championship and NCAA Tournament berth since 2011 was special.
“To win the conference tournament in my last go-round was the highlight of my career,” McDaniel said.
