The Tribune

By RENALDO DORSETT

Tribune Sports Reporter

rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

DOMINIQUE Collie Jr has taken advantage of a new Major League Baseball initiative to help collegiate prospects in their exposure ahead of the league’s annual draft.

Collie joined the Frederick Keys for the inaugural season of the MLB Draft League.

In their most recent game, the Keys were defeated by the State College Spikes, 3-1, but Collie was one of the Keys’ few bright spots offensively and reached base safely on every at bat of the evening.

Collie started things off with a single.

The Spikes attempted to pick him off and the ball got away, allowing Collie to move up two bases. Collie came around to score the lone Keys run of the game on a wild pitch.

The MLB Draft League is a collegiate summer baseball league created by the MLB and Prep Baseball Report. The league serves as a showcase for top draft-eligible prospects leading up to each summer’s MLB draft. The league’s initial six teams were formerly members of Minor League Baseball’s New York–Penn League, Eastern League, and Carolina League before MLB’s reorganisation of the minors for 2021. The Keys once served as the Class A-Advanced affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles from 1989 to 2020.

The MLB Draft League season consists of 68 games for each club. The league breaks July 9-14 for the MLB Draft and resumes July 15.

Collie recently completed his first season with the Webber International Warriors in the Sun Conference of the NAIA.

He received conference-wide recognition for his defensive prowess over the course of the season and was named to the Sun Conference’s 2021 Gold Glove Team and will advance to the Rawlings-NAIA Gold Glove national ballot.

The junior outfielder made just one error, put out 67 opponents and recorded five outfield assists. With a .986 fielding percentage, he converted on 72-73 chances.

Webber, finished 28-24 overall on the season. Collie hit .267 with 44 hits, nine doubles, seven triples, 34 runs scored, 41 RBI, slugging .408 with nine stolen bases.

At 17-years-old, Collie was an international signing by the Arizona Diamondbacks in March 2017. He spent his first season of pro baseball in the Dominican Republic Summer League with the DSL Diamondbacks.

In 37 games he hit .245 with a .717 OPS, with 18 runs, six RBI and 33 total bases. In 2018 he advanced to the Arizona Fall League where hit .127 with a .445 OPS, four RBI and 10 runs.