Shields signs with Royals
David Shields of Mt. Lebanon signed a MLB contract with Kansas City on July 22. The Royals had selected the southpaw in the second round of the amateur draft held July 14-16 in Fort Worth, Texas. He was the 41st overall pick
According to the KC website, Shields signed for $2.3 million, which is slightly above the slot value of $2.28 million assigned by MLB. With the deal, Shields will forego his scholarship to the University of Miami, where he had started summer classes upon graduation from Mt. Lebanon High School in June.
According to the Royals, Shields is ‘super-projectable’ with plenty of raw talent. He has ‘starting pitcher traits’, specifically a 94-mile-per-hour fastball to go along with an above-average slider, clocked in the low 80s, and an average changeup. Plus, he doesn’t turn 18 until Sept. 9.
Shields was a two-sport athlete, starting at quarterback on the football team, until he decided to reclassify and fast track his career, graduating as a junior.
In two seasons, Shields compiled an 11-3 record. In 102 2/3 innings, he struck out 169 and scattered 46 hits. He led Mt. Lebanon to the district finals two years in a row, throwing a no-hitter in the 2023 WPIAL championships. He also pitched in the 2023 PIAA finals.
Despite battling a bout with mononucleosis this spring, Shields posted a 5-1 record not he mound, complete with a 0.96 ERA and 63 strikeouts in 35 innings. He batted .383 and started in center field when he wasn’t on the mound.
Shields was named Gatorade’s Pennsylvania Baseball Player of the Year as well as Almanac and Observer-Reporter baseball MVP for the second year in a row at the end of the scholastic school year.
The 6-foot-2, 210-pound pitcher is the son of Kevin and Marcia Shields. His older brother, Derrick, pitches for Indiana University of Pennsylvania, which participated in the NCAA Division II College World Series this spring.