Mill Creek’s Daniel Pierce drafted No. 14 overall by Tampa Bay Rays

“So, once the Rays called, I think everybody kind of knew, but before that there were kind of a few things that needed to happen for this to happen, so me and my dad kind of stared at each other and started laughing.”

The Tampa Bay Rays made Pierce the No. 14 overall selection in the first round of Sunday’s MLB Draft at the Coca-Cola Roxy, the concert venue at The Battery Atlanta.

“I don’t think it’s still sunk in too much yet, and I feel like I’m still kind of living a dream,” Pierce said. “It happened, you know, they call your name and whatnot, so you want to just sit there and smile.”

The draft continued the MLB All-Star Weekend festivities surrounding Truist Park.

Earlier this week, Pierce said he was unsure how he’d react, figuring he might simply ‘sit there and stare at the TV.’

Pierce’s guests immediately mobbed him when his name was called. Pierce kept his cool at first before cracking a wide grin.

“It almost just felt kind of frozen for me,” he said. “I was packed with joy and emotion.”

Pierce became the first Georgia native to be selected in the 2025 draft. The state has produced 15 first rounders out of high school in the last decade.

Pierce helped lead the Hawks to four straight GHSA State Playoffs appearances and an AAAAAAA Region 8 title in 2022.

He is the No. 13 overall prospect according to MLB.com and Perfect Game’s No. 1 player in the state of Georgia. Pierce is committed to play at the University of Georgia next season in case he doesn’t turn pro.

Pierce will join fellow former Georgia high schooler Josh Lowe (Pope HS), who the Rays selected with the No. 13 overall pick in 2016. Lowe is in his fourth full season with the Rays, an everyday starter in right field.

But Pierce was compared to another Georgia-grown star on ESPN’s draft broadcast.

“It reminds me of a Dansby Swanson kind of athlete,” college baseball analyst Chris Burke said. “There’s some physicality here.”

Pierce sees himself as a five-tool player (contact, power, fielding, arm strength, speed), but plans to add more power with muscle mass.

He also described himself as a late bloomer, saying he didn’t see significant progress in the weight room until later in high school. The 6-foot-1, 180-pounder has seen criticism about his power but plans to silence those concerns with professional development.

“I saw some stuff that said, ‘He’s, like, maybe a 15-homer guy,’ and I’m like, ‘I’m not even close to my peak.’ I mean, when I get to my peak, I’ll have a lot more juice than I have now, and I think I’ll hit a lot more than 15,” Pierce said. “So I wish they gave me a little more credit on some power sometimes, but I know that’ll come.”

Perhaps a sixth “tool” that shouldn’t be overlooked is Pierce’s baseball IQ, built by his background as a coach’s son. His dad, Paul, was an assistant on Mill Creek’s staff since 2016 before taking the program over last season.

Paul Pierce said the same tenacity that shot his son up draft boards over the last year helped him make an early impact at Mill Creek.

“When he got here, he planned on being a starter as a freshman, and he does his homework,” Paul Pierce said. “He realizes that we graduated a few guys, and we’re going to need some people to step up, and he kind of took that on as, ‘I’m going to be one of those guys that steps up and takes that spot,’ and he did a great job.”

Daniel Pierce intends to attack his new job with that same mentality. Tampa Bay’s newest first-rounder doesn’t yet know when to report to his first minor league duty, but he doesn’t plan to stay for long.

“I think everybody’s goal is to get to the big leagues as fast as possible,” Pierce said. “Keeping that mindset and staying myself, not trying to expect too much and whatnot, just staying myself and whatever happens, happens.”

All the 18-year-old knew on Sunday was he wanted to share a Chili’s triple dipper with friends, followed by a trip to the Home Run Derby on Monday.