It’s not a total rarity to see a high-level pro prospect come through the Northeastern baseball program, but the level outfielder Mike Sirota has reached with the Huskies is significant

An ABCA/Rawlings All-America third-team and All-Coastal Athletic Association first-team selection last season, the junior and New York native was one of the driving forces behind Northeastern’s second trip to the NCAA Tournament in three seasons and a program-record 44 wins in 2023.

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Now, for the first time in almost two decades, a major-league organization may make a Northeastern player a first round selection in the draft this summer.

Here are five things to know about this major-league prospect, who looks primed to be the next Northeastern Huskies baseball standout to be selected in the first round of the MLB Draft:

Mike Sirota Could Be First Northeastern First-Rounder In 18 Years

No Huskies player has been selected in the first round of the MLB Draft since Adam Ottavino in 2006. 

That’s likely to change when Sirota gets his name called by a major-league organization later this year. 

Not only that, Sirota also could put former All-Star and American League home run leader Carlos Pena’s longstanding record of being the highest-drafted Husky (10th overall in 1998) in jeopardy. 

Currently the No. 11-ranked prospect for the 2024 draft in FloBaseball's composite rankings, Sirota has been drafted once already in his career, being picked out of high school in the 16th round in 2021 by the Los Angeles Dodgers. 

His second time being selected will be a lot higher, as the 6-foot-3 outfielder has earned plenty of praise for his hitting (.344 batting average, 18 home runs, 54 RBIs last season) and speed (19 stolen bases in 2023) with high upside for growth at the major-league level. 

Mike Sirota Holds Northeastern’s Single-Season Run Record

Sirota's part of the reason pro scouts optimistic about the player's potential. 

Yes, it helped the Huskies produce a lot of offense last season. Even though he missed five games in 2023, no one in Northeastern baseball history has crossed home plate more times in a single season than Sirota’s 73 times a season ago, which saw him finish 12th in the country with 1.33 runs per game. 

He was a major catalyst behind the Huskies having the CAA’s most productive offense (league-leading 459 runs) in 2023, while being the conference’s only team to have at least 1,000 total bases (1,061 in all) on the season.

With a healthy season and/or a deeper postseason run, Sirota would’ve likely helped boost those numbers up even more. 

Mike Sirota Is Related To Hall Of Famer Whitey Ford

Being the great-nephew of one of the greatest pitchers to ever live certainly can’t hurt Sirota in his journey to the major leagues. 

The New York Yankees’ all-time leader in wins, shutouts and innings pitched, Whitey Ford was a 10-time All-Star, six-time World Series champion and the 1961 Cy Young Award winner. He became an iconic figure for the most successful club in the history of baseball, with his No. 16 jersey being one of 21 retired by the team. 

Inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1974, Ford’s career ERA of 2.75 still is the third-lowest of the live ball era (only behind Clayton Kershaw and fellow hall of famer Hoyt Wilhelm), as the “Chairman of the Board” could keep his cool long into games when his team needed him. 

Ford sadly did not live to see Sirota being drafted for the first time, having died in October 2020 at the age of 91, several months before Sirota was picked by the Dodgers, but the family pedigree is notable. 

🔟 MLB Draft prospects who stood out during the fall college seasonhttps://t.co/mE6zKzG06A pic.twitter.com/cNf14oK9EC

— NE Baseball Journal (@NE_Baseball) December 1, 2023

He Got Initial Looks As An Infielder

Drafted by the Dodgers as a shortstop, with plans to be a middle infielder, Sirota instead made the switch to the outfield—primarily as a center fielder—once he got to the college ranks. 

The choice has been a good one. 

His speed makes him a good option for tracking down balls hit toward the gap and/or warning track. His reliable glove (.986 fielding percentage on 138 chances last season) and solid arm only add to his draft stock as a potential long-term option in the outfield. 

Sirota’s acumen as a hitter likely would’ve shone through no matter where he was placed defensively, but what Sirota has shown in his center field slot has helped him up the draft boards—and there’s still plenty of room left for Sirota to grow as a ballplayer.

He’s Played Two Seasons In The Cape Cod League

Sirota earned the right to play in the Cape Cod League, twice, widely considered to be the best collegiate summer baseball league in the country.

Across 37 games in the league with the Brewster Whitecaps and the Hyannis Harbor Hawks in the 2022 and 2023 seasons, Sirota slashed a combined .312/.465/.477 with 10 extra-base hits (two triples, three home runs, five doubles) and 18 RBIs in 109 at-bats, stealing seven bases and scoring 20 times. 

Those numbers were massive for Sirota, considering the fact that his status as a mid-major college player and lack of consistent high-level competition (in the eyes of scouts) could ding him on draft boards, compared to similar players who compete in stacked conferences. 

In the Cape Cod League, however, it’s a much more level playing field of excellent college-aged talent night in and night out, meaning Sirota’s showings and proven ability to hit against top competition bodes well for his future.

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