Seattle Mariners draft pick Austin Shenton played for the Bellingham Bells in 2016. Photo courtesy of the Bellingham Bells.
Seattle Mariners Draft Bellingham's Austin Shenton
June 4, 2019
Posted by Doug Lange Bellingham
The Seattle Mariners may have found their third baseman of the future right out of Whatcom County. The Mariners drafted former Bellingham High School and Bellingham Bells star Austin Shenton in the 5th round of the MLB Draft Tuesday with the 156th overall pick.
It's the second time the Florida International University slugger has been drafted. In 2016, Shenton opted not to sign with the Indians after being drafted out of high school by Cleveland in the 34th round.
The left-handed hitting Shenton was ranked 160th overall on MLB.com's Prospect Watch. Corresponding analysis prior to the draft compared him to a current Seattle Mariner.
"Scouts who like Shenton and think the guy they saw in the Cape is who he is, see a little Kyle Seager in him, though his slow start may have turned some teams off. This might be an opportunity for a team to buy low on a college bat on Day 2 of the Draft."
- MLB.com 2019 Prospect Watch
The numbers Shenton has put up at FIU are eye-popping. In his just completed junior season he led the team in 6 batting categories including batting average (.330), hits (65), and RBIs (47). He was named preseason All-American by Baseball America and received second team All-CUSA honors.
During his sophomore campaign at Florida International he hit .344 with nine home runs and 29 RBI's. He was named to the Second Team All-Conference USA Team. During the summer Shenton hit .349 to lead the Wareham Gatemen to the Cape Cope Championship and was named the postseason MVP.
Prior to his out-of-state success, Shenton hit .472 with a .700 On Base Percentage as a Bellingham Red Raider. He hit .395 with 7 homeruns, and 56 RBI's at Bellevue College. Shelton led the Bells and the entire West Coast League in hitting in 2017 with a .409 average. He added 4 home runs and 47 RBI's in 50 games played. He hit 280 in 31 games for the Bellingham in 2016 totaling 30 hits, 6 RBI's and 3 stolen bases.
- Doug Lange
*Information from fiusports.com used in this story.
