Covington graduate Mason Estrada has always been an analytical guy.
In high school, the 2023 Lions alumnus scored a perfect 36 on the ACT. He was also a three-year starter on the baseball team at shortstop while hitting third in the lineup.
He also pitched his final two seasons before heading off to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
“I always jokingly said that he could go hit somewhere, but he said, ‘Coach, I’m going to go to MIT. I’m going to throw 97, and I’m going to get drafted.’ I guess he did that, so it shows what I know,” Covington coach Jeff Dragg said.
The MIT aeronautics and astronautics major reared back, fired and got a radar gun reading of 95 mph during his freshman season. Those numbers make MLB clubs take notice, whether you’re at LSU or Division III MIT.
Then came his sophomore season, where Estrada went 6-0 with a 2.21 ERA, striking out 66 and allowing 22 hits in 40 2/3 innings. His fastball hit 96 miles per hour, and his sliders — he has two with velocity in the upper 80s — produced up to 2,700 rotations per minute. Those are big-league metrics.
The World Series champion Dodgers took notice and drafted him in the seventh round with the No. 225 pick on July 14.
“After the first three rounds of the day, I was getting very nervous,” Estrada said. “By the time we got to the sixth round, I really hadn’t had too many calls. There was some back and forth, and then, it happened really fast. They offered a number, and I took it. They picked me in the next round. It was awesome and pretty surreal.”
Estrada, who announced he was transferring to Tennessee next season, was suddenly on the road to the MLB.
Quiet confidence
Estrada laughed when told that Dragg remembered his now prophetic words as a senior. Dragg always saw Estrada as more of a hitter.
As a senior, the District 6-5A MVP posted a 6-2 record with one save in 43.2 innings. He struck out 61 with a 0.802 ERA. At the plate, he hit .295 with a .492 OBP, including 38 hits, 32 RBIs, 29 runs scored, 12 doubles, four home runs and three triples.
“He’s a unique blend,” Dragg said. “He was a 36 ACT guy and was all about engineering, so that was important. But baseball was always right there as well. I think it was kind of tough for him to figure out what he was going to do after high school. But he was steadfast that he was going to find the best option he could, engineering-wise, and play baseball there.”
The right-hander said he planned to try his luck on the bump in college.
“Not until senior year did I see what I could be as a pitcher. Once I saw it, I knew I was going to do whatever it took to get there. I knew I was going to work my butt off to be in a position to get drafted. I knew what it was going to take to get there, and I got there,” Estrada said.
“I knew there was a 0.05% chance that I would be good enough as a hitter to get drafted. If you throw 97, 98, you’ll get drafted, especially if you throw strikes. As a hitter, if you can hit an 85-mile-per-hour fastball, it doesn’t mean you can hit a 95-mile-per-hour fastball. I knew that, so I really wanted to focus on pitching.”
Balancing act
As doggedly as Estrada pursued his baseball dreams, he used that same energy to excel in the classroom.
The 6-foot, 200-pound athlete said he got a lot of help from his classmates, calling MIT a very collaborative environment.
“MIT really encourages working with your peers,” Estrada said. “There were a lot of guys in my aerospace engineering class who were awesome and helped me through a lot of hard problem sets and helped me study for tests. Having a good support group meant a lot. It made it possible to get As and Bs this past semester and pitch well enough to get considered in the top 10 rounds.”
Estrada said that thermodynamics was his most challenging class.
Now, he’s taking a personal leave from MIT, which means he can return to school without needing to apply in the next two years. After that, it’s a streamlined application.
While that plan is in place, he hopes not to use it for at least a decade.
Next steps
Estrada said getting drafted was a special moment that he enjoyed even more because he was surrounded by friends and family at his grandmother’s house.
But now the hard work begins.
“It’s really awesome to get drafted, but the job isn’t done yet,” he said. “I’ll be getting paid to play baseball, but the end goal is to make it to the Show. I guess I’ll soak it all in when I get there, but until then, I’m just going to put my head down and get to work.”
He said he will be flying out to Arizona shortly to begin his road to the Majors. Now, he’ll continue to put in the work to improve.
“I think the best thing for me was getting bigger and stronger, and a lot more physical in the weight room,” he said. “Just moving faster with weights. I think the biggest thing was using my lower half more efficiently.”
Still, his words of wisdom to any young players with MLB dreams are simple.
“You have to really look at it and see what your options are,” he said. “MIT was my only option to get here. Baseball has a short lifespan. If what you’re dreaming of doing has a very short lifespan, take the opportunity to achieve your aspirations. Just go all in on it. Because I know I don’t want to end my life and have regrets.”