Penn-Trafford grad Anthony Sherwin signs with Astros

During the third day of the 2023 MLB amateur draft, 2020 Penn-Trafford grad Anthony Sherwin was sort of paying attention.

“I was hoping to get drafted, but if I didn’t that was OK because I still had another year of school left,” Sherwin said.

As the 20th round was set to begin, Sherwin got a call from the Houston Astros to inform him they weren’t going to draft him in the 20th round. But they did tell him that they’d like to sign him as a free agent.

Sherwin didn’t hesitate in saying yes, he’d sign.

“It’s been a dream of mine since I think I learned to walk: to play professional baseball,” Sherwin said. “It’s an opportunity to play the game I love. I get to fulfill my dream.”

Sherwin will fly to Houston on Thursday to sign his contract and then report to West Palm Beach to begin his career.

Since Sherwin began his journey, he said he’s been like a sponge, trying to absorb as much information he could.

He just finished his junior season at Bucknell, where he earned second-team All-Patriot League honors as a shortstop.

He had career-best statistics. In 38 games he batted .342, had an on-base percentage of .486 and a slugging percentage of .567. He had 51 hits, scored 42 runs, 14 doubles, three triples, three home runs and 24 RBIs.

He had 15 multi-hit games including eight three-hit games. He also earned an Academic All-Patriot honor.

“He’s a good kid and a hard worker,” Penn-Trafford coach Lou Cortazzo said. “He has the work ethic to make the majors.”

Bucknell coach Scott Heather said Sherwin caught his eye at the WPIAL showcase when he would field everything like he was playing shortstop.

“That really caught my attention,” Heather told the Tribune-Review in April. “There were like a hundred kids there, and he was the only kid that was really trying to get better. A lot of other kids were just standing around.”

Sherwin won the starting shortstop spot as a freshman.

Things didn’t always go smoothly for Sherwin. He struggled during a couple of college summer leagues, but he refused to settle for being OK.

“I looked in the mirror, and I asked myself do I settle for being average, or did I want to continue to work to be great like them?” Sherwin said. “I saw playing against the elite players what it took to be great. I’m always trying to get better.”

Sherwin got a little practice at being a celebrity.

Before Penn-Trafford’s youth baseball camp Wednesday, Cortazzo brought the kids together and told them Sherwin had signed with the Astros and that they should ask for his autograph.

Sherwin ended up signing baseballs, hats and shirts for the kids after practice.