The MLB Draft has officially arrived. Over the course of the next couple days, 615 young men will be one step closer to their dream of making it to The Show.
For Texas A&M star outfielder Jace LaViolette, his team will likely be decided Sunday night thanks to his phenomenal career with the Aggies. One of his three years spent with Texas A&M, he formed a close bond with Chicago White Sox outfielder Braden Montgomery, who was in LaViolette’s shoes just a year ago.
Following his participation in the MLB All-Star Futures game, Montgomery issued some words of encouragement for LaViolette, via Jose de Jesus Ortiz on X.
Montgomery transferred to Texas A&M after two exceptional years at Stanford. In his season with the Aggies, he accumulated 27 homers and 85 RBI, which both rank third all-time in school history for a single season, on a .322 batting average while playing a major role in the Fightin’ Farmers championship attempt. Montgomery was a unanimous All-American, as well as NCAA Bryan-College Station Regional Most Outstanding Player, First Team All-SEC and SEC All-Defensive Team.
His efforts were enought to convince the Boston Red Sox to pick him with the 12th overall selection in the 2024 MLB Draft. Shortly after, he would be traded to the White Sox.
“It’s going to be a very emotion-filled day,” Montgomery said. “Everything on the draft is a surprise. No one knows how it’s going to play out so just pray, give thanks, and be ready for anything to happen. Be grateful for the opportunity you’re going to be stepping into.”
During his time with the Aggies, LaViolette made his case for legend status among the 12th Man. He leaves a legacy as the Aggies’ home run king after accumulating 194 hits on a .285 batting average, 202 RBI and 68 home runs over his time in the Maroon and White.
“He’s a great player,” Montgomery said. “He’s going to do what he can to improve and he’s going to be a dude for years to come.”
LaViolette leads the charge for a plethora of current and future Aggies who expect to hear their name called over the next couple of days. Pitchers Shane Sdao and Justin Lamkin as well as shortstop Kaeden Kent’s names have been thrown around as guys who have the potential to hear their name called.
The MLB Draft is set to begin Sunday night at 5 p.m. CT.
