By RICH FISHER
Contributing Editor
Dylan Palmer had an anxious Monday. He sweated, he squirmed and then he smiled.
The big grin broke out when the graduate of Notre Dame High School, Lawrenceville, saw on his phone that he had been taken by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 11th round of the Major League Baseball Draft July 14.
“It was definitely an eventful day,” Palmer said a day later. “I was supposed to go rounds five through seven, that’s what I was hearing. Obviously the draft works in weird and crazy ways and busy ways. I originally had an offer from the Angels in the seventh round but at the last second, a couple minutes before the pick, they backed out of it. A couple teams did that yesterday, so it was just stressful.
“There was a lot of waiting and waiting. But it was all worth it.”
A 2022 Notre Dame High graduate, Dylan Palmer was taken by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 11th round of the MLB draft July 14. Photo by Rich Fisher
Palmer was drafted after his junior year with Hofstra University, Long Island, N.Y., where he had a career average of .386 and finished fourth on the school’s all-time hit list with 247. This past season the West Windsor resident hit .400 with 21 extra-base hits and was named first-team All-Colonial Athletic Association.
The 2022 ND grad, who hit .577 his senior year, became the first Irish player drafted since Tatem Levins was taken by Seattle in 2022 after his senior season at the University of Pittsburgh. He is the third to be drafted in seven years as Jamie Galazin went from St. John’s to the Cubs in 2018.
Murphy actually saw that he was chosen on the internet at the same time his agent, Patrick Higley, from Ohio-based Simon Sports, called to inform him.
“He said, ‘Did you see it already?’ and I said ‘Yeah,’ and we watched it come on TV from there,” Palmer said. “It was definitely unconventional, but it was awesome. The Pirates scout called right after that.”
It ended the anxiety, but the former Catholic Athletes for Christ member was aided by his trust in the Lord.
“I’m big on faith, big on God,” said the parishioner of St. David the King Parish, Princeton Junction. “It was a really stressful day and knowing God was watching over me, he had a plan for me throughout everything, I was OK with it. He blessed me with this talent in my life, I’m just so grateful and blessed.”
Dylan was chosen as a utility player, as he has the coveted ability to play numerous positions. He was not surprised to be taken by Pittsburgh, which is relying on its young players to rebuild a stagnant franchise.
“I’ve been talking to the Pirates a good amount of time,” he said. “They were a top five team for me. I went to a workout at PNC Park a few weeks ago to get in front of their entire scouting department. They really like my versatility. I can run, make a lot of contact. They needed more players like that in the organization.
“I was really happy with the Pirates,” he said. “That was one of my favorite landing spots.”
Palmer’s journey began at West Windsor-Plainsboro North High School before transferring to Notre Dame after his freshman year.
“That was probably one of the best decisions I ever made in my life,” he said. “I don’t think I would be where I am if I stayed at West Windsor, because at Notre Dame there were kids that were equally athletically driven as me. You’re always just competing and trying to be the best. It was great. It was the best three years ever.
“We worked hard in practice; we all pushed each other to be really good. It was a great winning culture that coach (Joe) Drulis instilled in us.”
Dylan Palmer’s glove made him a valuable commodity in the MLB draft, as he has the ability to play numerous positions. Photo contributed by gohofstra.com
Drulis was thrilled to see Palmer drafted and recalled his potential while in an Irish uniform.
“He just kept getting better and better each year,” the veteran coach said. “He believed in the line drive at Notre Dame – left center, center and right fields. No launch angle or looping his hands. Just short and quick to the ball.”
He continued that practice at Hofstra under head coach Frank Catalanotto, who pretty much left the contact hitter to his own devices.
“They let me be who I am,” Palmer said. “They coached me up here and there, but they saw I had a natural ability to hit. They really didn’t try to change what I did. They just let me hit until I failed. . .and I never really failed.
“They worked on other stuff. Baseball IQ and those things. My coach played in the big leagues for 14 years and everyone on the staff played professional baseball. It was a very professional university.”
It was also a university in the Northeast, which does not get scouted as intensely as the big-time schools in the south and west. But Palmer’s slick fielding and consistent bat during his freshman year drew interest from Higley, who talked about possibly representing him.
With the thought of being drafted in his head, Palmer tried to ignore it, saying, “I just tried to stay consistent. There were a lot of scouts watching my sophomore year, that put my name on the map. I knew it was possible, but you can’t really worry about the noise, you just have to play well.”
Palmer is currently home and will undergo physicals and sign his contract at week’s end. From there he expects to be assigned to the Bradenton Marauders, the Pirates Class Low A team.
“I’m just gonna keep training now and prepare for what I’m gonna do,” he said. “This is just the start. I want to be a Major League baseball player. That’s the end goal.”
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