Simsbury Resident Signs With Baltimore Orioles

SIMSBURY, CT — Simsbury’s Thomas Girard has signed with the Baltimore Orioles following an abbreviated MLB Draft, according to the Hartford Courant. This year’s draft was shortened to only five rounds due to the coronavirus pandemic, which left qualified-draft eligible players able to sign with MLB teams as a free agent or return to their college teams.

Girard, a closer at Duke, told the Courant he spent 72 hours on the phone with different people trying to make the best decision before choosing to sign with the Orioles.

Girard closed out his Duke career as one of the best relievers in program history. He finished tied for second all-time for most career saves in Duke history with 13, according to a Duke news release.

He entered the 2020 campaign as a Preseason All-American, being named to both the D1Baseball and National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Third Team, while also being tabbed to the NCBWA Stopper of the Year Preseason Watch List.

Girard made a team-high nine appearances in an abbreviated season this year, sporting a 1-1 record with a team-high four saves to tie for third in the ACC. He had nine saves in 2019, which is tied for second-most in school single-season history.

Read the full story at the Hartford Courant here.