“It was a little crazy,” Giesting said Friday morning. “We watched all of Day Two. I wasn’t planning on watching the third day. It happened pretty quickly. Around (2 p.m.), my advisor reached out to me and said the Diamondbacks were going to be taking me and congratulations.”
Another local product picked in the draft was Miami University senior right-handed pitcher Jonathan Brand, who was chosen by the Boston Red Sox in the eighth round. The 5-foot-9, 200-pound native of Columbus, Georgia, was 8-2 with a 1.40 ERA and 86 strikeouts in 77-1/3 innings over 13 appearances on his way to being named to the All-Mid-American Conference first team. He finished his RedHawk career 12-6 with a 2.84 ERA and 181 strikeouts over 155-1/3 innings.
Brand is the second Miami pitcher taken in the draft over the last two seasons. Right-hander Sam Bachman was ninth overall selection by the Los Angeles Angels in 2021.
Giesting was the second player picked on the third day of the draft and the 318th overall selection. He was Charlotte’s most-used pitcher over the last two seasons, going a combined 10-7 with a 4.44 earned-run average in 48 games, including 10 starts for coach Robert Woodard’s 49ers.
He has a chance to join pitcher Kent Tekulve and outfielder Jim Tracy as Hamilton catholic high school products who reached the major leagues. Tekulve graduated from Hamilton Catholic High School. Tracy, who also has managed in the majors, graduated from Badin.
“For Spencer, we are also thrilled because he is in a situation with the Diamondbacks where it is a win-win to either sign or return here with us for another year,” Woodard said on the Charlotte athletics website. “Our coaching staff firmly supports the Giesting family as his process plays out. Spencer is one of the best combinations of pitcher and person that I have ever coached.”
Giesting was 4-2 with a 1.49 earned-run average and 48 strikeouts over 42-1/3 innings in a team-high 11 games for Badin as a junior in 2019, when the Rams finished 27-3 and lost to Turpin in a Division I district final.
After going 3-3 with a 5.47 ERA and 73 strikeouts in 52-2/3 innings over 27 games as a Charlotte freshman in 2021, Giesting was 7-4 with a 3.72 ERA and 105 strikeouts in 75 innings over 21 games this past season. He credits traveling with other 49er pitchers to the P3 Premier Pitching and Performance facility in St. Louis with helping him overcome the loss of his high school senior season.
“They teach you how to work out the right way,” he said. “They give you an individualized program and help you figure out what you’re good at and what you’re not good at. They really allowed me to get better.”
Giesting knew teams such as the Brewers, Rangers, Padres, Yankees, Blue Jays and Pirates were interested in him. The Diamondbacks were latecomers. His hometown team, the Reds, didn’t show any interest, he said.
“I wouldn’t say I was disappointed,” he said. “If you go back and look at their track record, they don’t normally draft high school kids from Ohio.
“I think Arizona is a good fit.”
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