DENVER, Colo.—The third day of the 2021 Major League Baseball Draft was an exciting one for Villanova as right-handed pitcher
Jimmy Kingsbury was chosen by the Seattle Mariners in the 17
th round with the 504
th overall pick. Kingsbury is the second draft pick for the Wildcats this year and joins
Gordon Graceffo who was
selected in the fifth round by the St. Louis Cardinals yesterday. This is the first time since 2017 that Villanova has had two players chosen in the MLB Draft.
Kingsbury has been a four-year standout for the Wildcats and a member of the team's weekend starting rotation. He is a durable right-hander who features a plus fastball and slider in his repertoire. Throughout his collegiate career he achieved consistent success by aggressively attacking batters and being able to throw all of his pitches for strikes regardless of the count.
"No one loves the game of baseball more than
Jimmy Kingsbury," Wildcats head coach
Kevin Mulvey said. "He is a student of the game and one of the most fierce competitors to ever wear a Villanova jersey. Jimmy pitched in every possible role for us: starting games, holding games and closing games. He pitched on long rest, short rest and no rest. I am forever grateful for the way he put the team first and led by example during his Wildcats career. We are all extremely happy and excited for him."
Kingsbury becomes the fourth draft pick from Villanova in Mulvey's five seasons as head coach, joining Graceffo and 2017 selections Hunter Schryver and Todd Czinege who currently play in the minor league systems of the Chicago White Sox and the Colorado Rockies, respectively. Kingsbury is the 71
st draft pick all-time from the Wildcats and this year is the first time since 2011 that Villanova has had two pitchers chosen in the same draft.
Since the end of the collegiate season Kingsbury has continued his success pitching for the Newport Gulls of the New England Collegiate Baseball League. In six appearances for the Gulls, Kingsbury is 4-0 with a 4.06 ERA and has 28 strikeouts over 24 1/3 innings pitched. It is not the first time that Kingsbury has enhanced his resume and gained the attention of professional scouts with success in summer ball. He was a staple in the Newport bullpen during the 2019 summer season when he pitched in 12 games and recorded 30 strikeouts over 22 2/3 innings pitched.
Kingsbury took a step forward during his final collegiate season this spring and had 86 strikeouts in just 64 2/3 innings on the year. His average of 11.97 strikeouts per nine innings is the fifth-highest single-season mark in school history, while the 86 strikeouts are tied for ninth in the Villanova single-season record book. Kingsbury made 16 appearances, including seven starts and nine relief outings, in 2021 and went 5-4 with one complete game and four saves. He had three starts with 10+ strikeouts, including a career-high 13 in a three-hitter for a 3-2 win against Penn.
Over his final seven appearances of the season, Kingsbury logged 15.0 innings pitched while allowing just eight hits compared to 21 strikeouts. He recorded saves in four straight appearances from May 2-14 and also was the winning pitcher after tossing three scoreless innings with three strikeouts against St. John's on the final weekend of the regular season.
Kingsbury ends his collegiate career with 12 wins and five saves in 52 appearances, including 34 starts. He is tied for seventh in school history with 216 career strikeouts and ranks eighth with a 1.328 career WHIP. His WHIP is the lowest of any pitcher in Villanova history who has thrown 200 or more innings in a Wildcats uniform. Kingsbury is one of 10 pitchers in program history to face at least 1,000 batters (1,045) in his career. He also ranks 11
th in the school record book in strikeouts, 12
th in lowest opponent batting average (.251), 15
th in innings pitched (238.2) and tied for 15
th in games started.
This is the second time that a member of the Kingsbury family has been drafted from Villanova into the professional ranks. Jimmy's father Larry pitched for the Wildcats from 1989-92 and won 12 games while logging 122.0 innings pitched and holding opponents to a .232 batting average against him. He was drafted by the Oakland Athletics, first in the 22
nd round of the 1991 MLB Draft after his junior season and then in the 30
th round of the 1992 draft following his senior year. Jimmy and Larry have each been a part of one of the seven one-hitters in Villanova history. Jimmy pitched a one-hit shutout in a 1-0 win over La Salle as a sophomore on March 17, 2019 while Larry combined with David Herr on a one-hitter in a 6-2 win over Georgetown on April 16, 1992.
