It wasn’t as if Taylore Cherry was glued to a telephone for the past three days of the Major League Baseball draft. But he wasn’t totally disengaged, either.

“You can’t really worry about it,” said the recent Vandalia-Butler High School graduate. “You don’t stress about stuff like this.”

Armed with a mid-90s-mph fastball and towering at 6 feet, 8 inches, Cherry was considered a possible first-round pick. Instead, 40 rounds went by and 1,238 players were chosen Monday through Wednesday without Cherry getting the call.

According to MLB local scout Roger Janeway, several things worked against Cherry. A new MLB cap system for the draft is in place. Teams have a varying amount to spend on their first 10 picks.

Also, Cherry was not at his best when other scouts cross-checked him in games this past season with the Aviators. He was 9-2 with 84 strikeouts in 60.2 innings. He also had four shutouts and a 2.14 ERA.

Finally, Janeway said, Cherry probably priced himself out of contention with his asking bonus amount.

Cherry signed with NCAA power North Carolina last winter.

“He could go to North Carolina and be what we thought he was,” Janeway said. “He’s got the stuff, a good change-up and arm action. It’s just the consistency of doing it.”

High school players who opt for college ball aren’t eligible to be drafted until after three seasons.

“I’m not really surprised,” Cherry said.

“We went in open-minded. After the first two days, the money wasn’t there. UNC is a great school and I’m excited to go there. In (three) more years, I’ll be there again and we’ll see what happens.”

Cherry will again play for the Midland Redskins 18U team this summer.

The Reds took former Sinclair Community College and Cincinnati pitcher Christian McElroy in the 32nd round (982nd overall). He’s a Monroe grad.

If McElroy doesn’t sign, he’ll have one year of eligibility remaining at UC.

Also, right-handed pitcher Mike Hauschild of the University of Dayton was taken in the 33rd round (999th overall) by the Astros. He’s a Beavercreek grad.

Drafted players must sign by July 13. If not, their draft value will be held against a club’s cap. The team also will lose rights to that player.

Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2381 or mpendleton@DaytonDailyNews.com.