Haddonfield Native Joey Loperfido Drafted By Houston Astros

HADDONFIELD, NJ — A Haddonfield native has the opportunity to pursue his dream of playing Major League Baseball.

Joey Loperfido was drafted by the Houston Astros in the seventh round of the draft Monday night. The American League West team took the 6’4,” 195-pound outfielder with the 147th pick.

Loperfido graduated from Haddonfield Memorial High School in 2017, and spent the next four years at Duke University. As a senior, he hit 77-for-206 with 24 walks. He had 29 RBI, including eight home runs, 19 doubles, three triples and 12 stolen bases, according to his profile on d1baseball.com.

The Astros project he will play center field in the big leagues. He bats left-handed and throws right-handed.

Loperfido is the first Haddonfield Memorial High School baseball player to be drafted since 1989, according to nj.com.

“It really hasn’t sunk in yet,” he told NJ Advance Media. “My dream is to play in the big leagues and stay there. This is an awesome and enjoyable step toward that next goal.”

He joins Sicklerville native Anthony Solometo, Mainland’s Chase Petty and Pennsville C.J. Widger as South Jersey players to be drafted this year.