Londonderry resident and recent high school graduate, Owen Carey, was drafted by the Atlanta Braves during the 15th round of the latest MLB Draft. He was the 461st pick overall.
Carey is the first high schooler from New England to be chosen by an MLB team during this draft season from a pool that included three other candidates from the Granite State.
“I was obviously very excited right away,” said Carey, after learning about the draft. “I made it, but I still have room to grow. I still have to continue to play.”
Standing at six feet, 180 pounds, the left-hander excelled during his time at Londonderry High School, where he racked up a .338 batting average, 22 RBIs, 28 stolen bases, and three home runs for the Lancers.
“It was fun,” he said. “I was hurt freshman year, but after that, I played varsity and it was fun, but a lot more serious.”
Carey helped lead his varsity team to the NHIAA Division I semifinals this year and a Division Title last year. Carey was named Division I Offensive Player of the Year in 2024.
“He’s elite,” said Lancers Head Coach, Brent Demas. “You can tell just by watching him on the field that he’s a different caliber of player.”
Not limiting himself to baseball, Carey also excelled in hockey, where he helped his LHS team to a first-ever Division I title.
“I was debating playing one more year of hockey competitively,” said Carey, who eventually decided to switch to baseball full-time following an initial offer to play for Rutgers University. “I figured if I get hurt, my offer would get pulled from Rutgers. I’d been playing baseball longer, and this is really what I wanted to do. I picked baseball.”
After graduating, Carey spent the summer padding his professional resume in the Collegiate Baseball League, playing for the Nashua Silver Knights as an outfielder, which he saw as an opportunity to prepare himself for a higher level of play beyond the Lancers.
“Unlike high school, everyone is good,” he explained, outlining his decision to join the Collegiate League. “It helped me get at bats seeing harder pitching, better pitching, better defense, better teams all around. It helps.”
With his experience, and after meeting several scouts from the Braves, Carey’s draft did not come as a surprise to him, especially after being invited to a recent pre-draft workout for the MLB team.
“I got to go down there with my dad, hop on the field, take some ground balls and fly balls with a bunch of scouts watching,” he said.
Carey formally signed a $150,000 contract with the Braves not long have hearing the news. His next likely step will be on one of the Braves minor league affiliated teams, although it was unclear where he might immediately end up.