Ellington Resident Frank Mozzicato Taken 7th Overall In MLB Draft

ELLINGTON, CT — When the 2021 Major League Baseball draft began Sunday, Frank Mozzicato was projected as a late first-round or early second-round pick, as he was ranked the No. 39 prospect by MLB.com. The Kansas City Royals, however, thought differently, choosing the left-handed pitcher from Ellington, by way of East Catholic High School, with the seventh overall selection.

"I’m at a loss for words," Mozzicato said on a Zoom call with the media following the announcement of his selection by MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred. "This has been my dream since I was little, to play professional baseball, so I couldn’t be more excited to start my career in Kansas City. They have a great staff, and I’m going to really excel there. I can’t wait. It’s an awesome fit. I’m just ready to go."

MLB Network anchor Greg Amsinger called Mozzicato "a fun pitcher to watch on film. The kid loves to pitch."

Opposing hitters didn't have much fun with the 6-foot-3 Mozzicato this spring. He hurled four consecutive no-hitters, covering a span of more than 30 innings, and ended the season with a streak of 49 consecutive scoreless innings.

Following his fourth straight no-hitter, the UConn commit received national attention on Twitter from noted baseball analyst Peter Gammons.

East Catholic, which wound up the season as Connecticut's only undefeated team, breezed through the Class M tournament, outscoring its five opponents by a 62-4 margin. In the title game June 12 at Palmer Field in Middletown, Mozzicato tossed a 1-hitter and struck out 17 batters in a 7-0 win over Northwestern Regional.

He finished the year with a 9-0 record and a mind-boggling 0.16 earned run average. In 55.2 innings, he struck out 135 - an average of 2.4 strikeouts per inning - and allowed just nine hits. He was named an All-American by Baseball America.

"A year ago, he had nothing, no draft prospects," ESPN analyst Jessica Mendoza said. "He has grown so much in the last year."

Should he opt to forego UConn and sign with the Royals, Mozzicato's wallet will grow considerably as well. The assigned bonus value for the No. 7 selection is $5,432,400.

He is just the fifth Connecticut high school player ever drafted in the first round, and second highest overall. Bobby Valentine, who played 10 years in the major leagues and later managed the Texas Rangers, New York Mets and Boston Red Sox, was selected fifth overall by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 1968 amateur draft out of Rippowam High School in Stamford.

Valentine's signing bonus? $65,000.

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