The goal from when he was a 5-year-old kid putting a baseball glove on his left hand for the first time came true with one phone call on Tuesday.
Maryknoll’s Jacob Remily got the call from his adviser and then waited to hear his name read aloud as the Cleveland Guardians made him their 16th-round selection in the 2024 Major League Baseball draft.
Remily, a 6-foot-6 right-handed pitcher, was taken with the 475th overall pick and will sign a professional contract hopefully late this week or early next week. He had signed to play college baseball at San Jose State.
“You dream of this your whole life and it finally happens today and it’s a super special moment you will always remember,” Remily said. “I was tuned in today, had my computer up looking at all of the picks, ringer was on, phone was charged. I got the call from my adviser, but even after you hear that it doesn’t really set in until you hear your name called and see your name pop up on the (MLB.com draft database).”
One of three Hawaii high school graduates selected in this year’s draft, Remily was the only selected player not to take the college route.
He is the second Spartans alum to be picked in a MLB draft and the first to come right out of high school. Jordan Kurokawa was picked in the 28th round of the 2016 draft after playing at Hawaii Hilo.
“Just you saying it gave me goosebumps,” Remily said. “I owe a lot to the Maryknoll program. I went in as a freshman who didn’t play intermediate baseball and coach Alaka‘i (Aglipay) took me in and took me under his wing and showed me the ropes. Everyone in that program is super supportive and want the best for you and hopefully it inspires other people to go and try their luck with Maryknoll and see what they can help you with.”
Remily has always stood out with his height but said he was never the best player on the team. He has played with a variety of club teams in the summer, but didn’t really believe he had a chance to get drafted out of high school until last summer in Arizona.
He went through a couple of pre-draft workouts this summer and, with the help of former Hawaii assistant coach Dan Cox, made it into the Draft League.
The last Hawaii high school graduate signed by the Cleveland franchise was Ka‘ai Tom out of Saint Louis and the University of Kentucky in 2015.
“You kind of have an idea of who likes you the most and (Cleveland) came in a little bit later than some of the other teams,” Remily said. “The draft is a crazy thing, especially today, when they are picking every 15 seconds. A lot can happen.”
All three players from Hawaii selected this year were from ILH schools.
Saint Louis alum Caleb Lomavita was taken with the 39th overall pick by the Washington Nationals on Sunday after playing three seasons at Cal.
Mid-Pacific graduate Kodey Shojinaga was drafted in the sixth round by the Philadelphia Phillies on Monday after playing two years at Kansas.
The University of Hawaii did not have a player drafted for the first time since 2016.