WATCH: Drew Gilbert blasts a two-run shot in his first at bat in the pros
Former Tennessee Volunteer slugger Drew Gilbert hasn’t taken long to show off his impressive power in the minor leagues. On Wednesday night in his first at bat for the Fayetteville Woodpeckers–the A team for the Houston Astros, he blasted a two-run shot for his new club.
Gilbert officially signed with the Houston Astros after the organization drafted him in the first round of the 2022 MLB Draft on July 17th. His deal is worth $2.5 million, according to MLB.com’s Jim Callis.
“1st-rder Drew Gilbert signs with @astros for $2.5 million (slot 28 value = $2,621,700),” Callis wrote on Twitter. “@Vol_Baseball OF, aggressive hitter with excellent hand-eye coordination, solid to plus speed, very good instincts in center, fastball to 93 mph when he relieved in past.”
Gilbert batted cleanup for the Vols this season, en route to Tennessee’s most successful regular season in program history. After batting a whopping .362 average with 11 home runs this year, he was always going to be a top selection in the Major League Baseball draft. Gilbert racked up the accolades this past season, earning first team All-American honors from the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association.
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He was named the 2022 SEC Tournament MVP after racking up seven hits and nine RBIs in Hoover, Alabama. The Minnesota native was also named to the SEC All-Defensive team this year. The slugger celebrated the SEC Tournament crown with a bat flip. Gilbert was also named to the 2022 Knoxville Regional All-Tournament team in this year’s NCAA Tournament.
The leftie outfielder became just the third player from the Tennessee baseball program to be selected in the first round by the Astros. He joined former Vols standouts Eli Lorg (2005) and Chris Burke (2001).
Coming out of high school, Gilbert was rated as the No. 1 player in the state of Minnesota and the No. 77 prospect in the nation, according to Prep Baseball Report. He was also named a Gatorade Player of the Year finalist in the state of Minnesota in 2018.
On3’s Barkley Truax also contributed to this article.