Two recent Hilo High School graduates were selected Monday in the first four rounds of the 2023 Major League Baseball draft.
Devin Saltiban, the Big Island Interscholastic Federation Player of the Year, was taken in the third round with the 98th overall pick by the Philadelphia Phillies.
In addition, Maui Ahuna, a 2020 Hilo High alum, was selected in the fourth round with the 117th overall pick by the San Francisco Giants.
Saltiban, 18, was ranked No. 182 on MLB.com’s list of the Top 250 draft prospects. He has signed a letter of intent to play baseball for the University of Hawaii at Manoa, but MLB.com reported he’s expected to sign with the Phillies.
Listed at 5-foot-10 and 180 pounds, Saltiban, who bats and throws right-handed, has played shortstop for the Vikings, but is expected to be an outfield prospect in the minor leagues.
Saltiban has worked with well-known Hilo hitting coach Kaha Wong, father of big-leaguers Kolten and Kean Wong. MLB.com said the elder Wong “has helped him develop into an outfielder with a solid all-around tool set.”
“He has the chance to really hit, with a quick swing and excellent bat speed, which could point to decent power in the future,” MLB.com said. “Challenging himself by competing in MLB’s Draft League ahead of the draft, Saltiban held his own, putting up some good exit velocities and punishing fastballs, albeit in a small sample.” Ahuna, a 21-year-old shortstop, was a sophomore in 2022 at Kansas, where he hit .396.
He left the Jayhawks via the transfer portal and surfaced at Tennessee, where he missed the first two weeks of the 2023 season while awaiting NCAA clearance.
According to MLB.com, Ahuna struggled at the plate with the Vols, but still hit .312 with eight home runs, 20 doubles, 45 runs and 42 runs batted in over 53 games during his junior season this year.
Ahuna, who bats left-handed and throws right-handed, was ranked No. 48 in MLB.com’s top 250 draft prospects. MLB.com describes Ahuna as “a quality defender at shortstop, where he can make all the plays and all the throws with outstanding body control and a strong arm, though he needs to improve his consistency.”
“First and foremost, when it comes to Maui, he easily could have been considered the best defensive shortstop in the entire draft,” Michael Holmes, the Giants’ amateur scouting director, told the website.
Email John Burnett at jburnett@hawaiitribune-herald.com.