MOULTRIE – It’s called the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft, and it’s growing into a bit of a television spectacle much like’s been seen with the NFL and NBA for decades now.

There is one name of Colquitt County connection to be on the lookout for when selections begin on Monday and continue through Wednesday from Secaucus, N.J. There may not be another player in the entire pool of available talent capable of what this former Packer is.

Aubrey McCarty completed his junior year of college eligibility in 2017 at Florida A&M University in Tallahassee, Fla. It was his third stop since graduating from Colquitt County High in 2013. The journey included a season, 2015, when McCarty, as a redshirt freshman, played on the Vanderbilt Commodores team that was defending national champions and reached the College World Series finals for the second year in a row. But after beating Virginia in 2014, Vanderbilt lost to the Cavaliers in the rematch.

One of McCarty’s teammates that season was current Atlanta Braves shortstop Dansby Swanson.

In 2016, McCarty transferred to Gordon State in Barnesville to play his sophomore season. There, he excelled both as a hitter and a pitcher.

McCarty hit .392 with 20 doubles, 10 home runs, 62 runs batted in and 48 runs scored. On the pitcher’s mound, he threw 63 innings and struck out 48 hitters.

For Florida A&M this spring, McCarty continued to do work in both the batter’s box and the mound. He led the Rattlers in home runs with eight, doubles with 12 and RBI with 51 while tying for the lead in total hits with 61. McCarty started 53 games, batted .299 and scored 32 runs.

In pitching, McCarty also topped the FAMU staff with seven wins in 16 appearances. He threw three complete games, worked 77 1/3 innings and struck out 42 against 30 walks. All of this led to a second-team All-MEAC selection.

Rattlers head baseball coach Jamey Shouppe, a former Florida State Seminole player, spoke with The Moultrie Observer earlier this week about McCarty’s season and professional baseball prospects. Florida A&M finished 27-26 overall and 14-10 in the MEAC.

“He was basically two players,” said Shouppe, who used McCarty in left field, as the designated hitter and weekend starting pitcher.

It was his original plan, he said, to use the pitching McCarty in the third game of conference series, but with the way the season was going McCarty was pitching the second games and batting as the DH in the third games.

But here’s the novelty McCarty brings to a baseball team. As was the case at Colquitt County High, McCarty is a ‘switch-pitcher.’ He can pitch right-handed and left-handed. Shouppe, however, said he was more inclined to use McCarty from the right side.

“He did all the little things better as a right-hander,” he said. “He held runners better, fielded the position better.”

The Rattlers, however, didn’t completely abandon using the left-handed McCarty. Shouppe said he made two mid-week non-conference game appearances as a lefty reliever and one of those was against the University of Florida on May 2 in Gainesville. Florida A&M led 3-1 after three innings, but after five the Gators led 6-5. In the bottom of the seventh, Florida scored two runs before Shouppe went to McCarty – who was the starting DH – and he faced three batters. McCarty got his team out of the inning retiring two left-handed hitters.

At the plate in that game, McCarty drove in a run on a single. The final score was 8-7 Gators after FAMU scored two in the top of the ninth.

“He was too good a right-hander to mess around,” said Shouppe. “He would throw 82-84 (mph) left handed and 92-93 right handed.

“I think he will be drafted. I got that feeling.”

Out of high school, McCarty was selected in the 35th round by the San Francisco Giants, and Shouppe said from what he’s heard the same organization may be calling again.

“He had a good year, not a great year,” said Shouppe, stating that might have had something to do with the competition. “This league is better than people think. There will be some pitchers drafted from here.”

And not only did the Rattlers face Florida, a team hosting a Super Regional this weekend, but other NCAA qualifiers in Auburn and South Florida. McCarty had two hits against the Tigers.

So where is McCarty’s professional future – not if he will turn pro this month and head to a minor league destination still to be determined, but is it pitching or at one of the other eight positions?

Shouppe admitted he does not know if McCarty will be back as a Rattler for a senior season, but would certainly be glad to take him back.

“I’ve told scouts I would draft him as a position player,” said Shouppe. “Give him two years to see if he can hit at that level. If not, put him on the mound for a couple of years to develop. The window is a lot shorter for a position player, but he has a relatively fresh arm. He is a very good hitter. He put up good numbers against good competition … opened some eyes.”

(Attempts to reach McCarty for comment were unsuccessful.)