Sometimes flashing 98 in a social media video gets you a deal with the Red Sox

What does it take to get noticed by a Major League team? For pitcher Danny Kirwin, all it took was one short video.

On Saturday, Micah Franklin, Kirwin's manager with the independent league Oakland Ballers, posted a 45-second clip of Kirwin pitching in an indoor batting cage. The right-hander reached 98 mph on the radar gun and showed swing-and-miss stuff with his slider and changeup in the clip.

The video apparently garnered the attention of at least one club: On Thursday, the Red Sox announced they'd signed Kirwin to a Minor League deal and assigned him to Single-A Salem.

The Ballers will begin play this season in the Pioneer League, and Kirwin became their first player to receive a contract with an MLB organization.

A native of Lansdale, Pa., Kirwin finished up his collegiate career at Rider University in 2023. As a senior, he went 7-2 with a 2.32 ERA and 67 strikeouts in 50 1/3 innings.

Kirwin played in the 2023 MLB Draft League but was not selected in the 2023 Draft. Now, though, he’s getting a chance with a Major League club – thanks in part to social media.