Mooney thrilled to be drafted by Guardians

Alex Mooney SS / 3B / Orchard Lake St. Mary's Prep, MI / 2021

GOODYEAR, Az. - With a signing bonus of more than four times the slot amount, becoming a pro baseball player was a no-brainer for Alex Mooney.

“I had a number that I was going to stick to, I didn’t know if I’d get it,” explained Mooney, who was selected in the seventh round by the Cleveland Guardians. “I was 100 percent fine to go back to college for my junior year. I was going to get what I wanted or go back. I had two good choices, but the Guardians gave me what I wanted. It’s a good organization that develops players well.”

The 2021 graduate of Orchard Lake St Mary’s had possibilities of being drafted two years ago.

“Sophomore year of high school is when they started talking to me,” Mooney related about pro scouts. “It ramped up before the draft my senior year, but I turned down a couple of teams. I had high numbers coming out of high school and nobody wanted to touch it. But I’m happy with the experience I had in college. It was the time of my life.”

Coming off a big season at Duke where the 6-1 195-pounder hit .315 with a team-high 68 runs scored, 20 doubles, 80 hits, 19 HBP and 21 stolen bases while starting all 63 games, Mooney was unsure how the draft would turn out.

“I was at home with both my parents and my younger brother,” Mooney reflected. “I didn’t know if I would be drafted so I didn’t have a lot of people there. But I got a call a half hour before it happened saying it was going to happen and my grandma, aunt, cousin and girlfriend came over and got there five minutes before I was called.”

The uncertainty came from conversations prior to the draft.

“There was nothing crazy,” Mooney said about the amount of teams showing interest. “I could tell the Guardians were the most interested. They asked more questions like how can I affect the club and how are you as a leader.

“I didn’t really know what round I would be taken because I was willing to turn down whatever it was, but I’m happy to be selected by the Guardians. It’s a great organization and they have a track record for development.”

His short time so far at camp in Arizona has been enjoyable, outside of the high temperatures.

“We’ve just been working out,” noted Mooney, who turned 21 on July 6. “They’re taking it easy on us and not rushing us. There’s light hitting and light throwing, but we’ll amp things up and get some games going. The first game is in 10 days to two weeks.”

The top-ranked shortstop in Michigan coming out of high school, the 218th selection in this year’s draft is hoping that remains his position but understands the need to be flexible.

“There really hasn’t been too much conversation on that,” Mooney said. “I’ll try to stick at short as much as possible but we talk about position versatility so I’ll probably take reps at second and third as well as shortstop.”

No matter the position, Mooney is confident about his future in the organization.

“I just need to keep doing what I’ve been doing, that’s why they drafted me because of the player I am now,” Mooney concluded. “I want to continue to be a good player, be a good leader in the clubhouse and win some games.

“I’m not worried about goals,” Mooney added. “I just want to go day by day, progress, get in good rounds of BP and good lifts, and not worry about getting called up.”