Tag: MLB Draft

2021 MLB draft: Vols’ pitcher Sean Hunley selected by Tampa Bay

Tennessee pitcher Sean Hunley drafted by the Tampa Bay Rays.

University of Tennessee pitcher Sean Hunley has been drafted by the Tampa Bay Rays.

A relief pitcher for the Volunteers, Hunley was selected in the 19th round of the Major League Baseball first-year player draft Tuesday in Denver, Colorado. He was selected No. 581 overall.

Hunley, a native of Mt. Juliet, Tennessee and a graduate of Mt. Juliet High School, recorded nine saves for the Vols as a senior in 2021.

He ranks top-10 in multiple statistical categories in UT program history.

His nine saves in 2021 were tied for fifth most in a single season. Hunley made 76 career appearances, fourth most in Tennessee baseball history.

He is tied for third in career saves with 13 with a career ERA of 2.71 (seventh best in the history of the program).

In 2021, Hunley recorded 77 strikeouts in 72.1 innings pitched and received second-team All-America honors from Baseball America.

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MSU baseball pitcher Mason Erla selected in Round 17 of MLB Draft by the Los Angeles Angels

MSU baseball pitcher Mason Erla selected in Round 17 of MLB Draft by the Los Angeles Angels

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MSU baseball pitcher Mason Erla has been selected in Round 17 (pick No. 501) by the Los Angeles Angels.

Erla is a right handed pitcher who played for Cass City High School before joining Michigan State in 2017. This past season, he surpassed 200 career strikeouts, putting him in the top ten in school history. He was named Second-Team All-American by Collegiate Baseball in 2020.

Mason Erla has impressive size, standing at 6’4″, 200-pounds and he is leaving MSU with a 4.03 ERA and a record of 14-21.

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MLB draft: Three Penn State baseball players drafted on Day 3

What MLB franchises drafted baseball players from Penn State?

Major League Baseball held its amateur draft this week, and a handful of players with Penn State ties were fortunate to have their name selected by one of the franchises in search of developing some new talent in the farm system.

Penn State Class of 2021 wide receiver Lonnie White Jr., a multi-sport star athlete in high school, was selected with a comp pick on Monday by the Pittsburgh Pirates. But three additional Nittany Lions were selected on day three of the draft on Tuesday.

Penn State third baseman Justin Williams was selected by the Houston Astros in the 17th round.

 

“Justin is a hard-working player with good power and arm strength,” Penn State baseball manager Rob Cooper said in a released statement. “I believe Justin is just now beginning to realize his offensive potential. We are thrilled for Justin to realize his dream of a professional opportunity.”

Ten picks later, Penn State right-hander Kyle Virbitsky was selected by the Oakland Athletics.

 

“In my entire coaching career, I haven’t been around many individuals who love competition as much as Kyle,” Cooper had to say about one of his pitchers. “His progression from his first year to now is a testament to his dedication and work ethic. Congratulations to Kyle on being drafted and getting the opportunity to start his professional career.”

In the 18th round, the New York Yankees selected Penn State right-handed pitcher Bailey Dees.

“Since the day Bailey arrived in Happy Valley, he has worked extremely hard to improve his craft,” Cooper said about Dees. “I believe he is only beginning to scratch the surface of his talent and we are very excited to see him get an opportunity to sign a professional contract.”

As for White, an official decision on his future remains unconfirmed, although it should be expected White will begin his journey to professional baseball with the Pittsburgh Pirates and leave behind his scholarship to play football for Penn State.

Follow Nittany Lions Wire on Twitter and like us on Facebook for continuing Penn State coverage and discussion.

Clemson starting pitcher taken in draft

A standout Clemson pitcher was taken on Day 2 of the 2021 Major League Baseball Draft on Monday. Left-handed hurler Keyshawn Askew was selected by the New York Mets in the 10th round of the draft with the 292nd overall pick. As a redshirt sophomore …

A standout Clemson pitcher was taken on Day 2 of the 2021 Major League Baseball Draft on Monday.

Left-handed hurler Keyshawn Askew was selected by the New York Mets in the 10th round of the draft with the 292nd overall pick.

As a redshirt sophomore this past season, Askew struck out 69 batters in 57.0 innings pitched across 12 games (11 starts), yielding just 11 walks. The 6-foot-4, 190-pound native of Powder Springs, Ga., had an ERA of 5.84 and allowed 68 hits.

Askew, who has seen action as both a starter and reliever during his Clemson career, went 2-1 with a 4.21 ERA in 57.2 innings pitched over 21 appearances (10 starts) in his first two seasons, giving up 58 hits (.276 opponents’ batting average) and 26 walks with 48 strikeouts.

Askew was a second-team All-American by Perfect Game coming out of McEachern High School, where he was an all-state and all-region selection and lettered three times in baseball.

Time to get the latest Clemson apparel to show your Tiger pride. Order your officially licensed Clemson gear right here!

Multiple Alabama baseball players selected in 2021 MLB draft

From Tuscaloosa to the MLB!

The Alabama Crimson Tide baseball team saw four star players selected in the 2021 MLB draft, all players going to different teams.

Just because they were drafted doesn’t mean they are guaranteed to sign with the organization, but it is very likely Alabama fans can say goodbye to these four.

The MLB draft can sometimes be overlooked, even by baseball fans, because players go into hiding within the organization’s minor league teams for a few seasons before getting an invite to the majors. However, these guys could soon join the nine other active MLB players that once called Alabama their home.

The first Crimson Tide player drafted was second baseman Peyton Wilson in the second round with pick No. 66 overall to the Kansas City Royals.

In Round 3 with pick No. 74, the Detroit Tigers selected right-handed pitcher Dylan Smith.

Then, three rounds later in the sixth, with pick No. 164, the Texas Rangers selected right-handed pitcher Chase Lee.

Most recently, in Round 6 with pick No. 179, the Miami Marlins selected catcher Sam Praytor.

Roll Tide Wire will update this post as more players are selected in the 2021 MLB draft.

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2021 MLB draft: Vols’ Max Ferguson selected by San Diego

Tennessee baseball player Max Ferguson has been drafted by the San Diego Padres.

Tennessee baseball player Max Ferguson has been drafted by the San Diego Padres.

Ferguson, an infielder for the Volunteers, was taken by the Padres in the fifth round of the 2021 Major League Baseball first-year player draft on Monday.

He was selected with the 160th overall draft pick.

Ferguson, the Vols’ starting second baseman in 2021, batted .253 for Tennessee, which won 50 games and made its first appearance in the College World Series since 2005. He hit 12 home runs and stole 15 bases last season.

Ferguson recorded a career batting average of .258 on Rocky Top and hit 14 career home runs.

Although primarily playing second base for the Vols, he can play multiple positions in the infield and the outfield.

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2021 MLB draft: Vols’ pitcher Chad Dallas selected by Toronto

Tennessee pitcher Chad Dallas drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays.

University of Tennessee pitcher Chad Dallas was drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays on Monday.

Dallas, a right-handed pitcher for the Volunteers, was selected by Toronto in the fourth round of the Major League Baseball first-year player draft.

A native of Orange Texas, Dallas was taken with the No. 121 overall selection.

Dallas began his collegiate career at Panola College before playing for Tennessee.

He found his spot on Tennessee’s pitching staff as the Vols’ Friday night starter.

He went 11-2 for the Big Orange in 2021 and was a key figure in Tennessee finishing second in the Southeastern Conference and winning the conference’s Eastern Division championship.

The Vols finished 50-18 in 2021 and advanced to the College World Series for the fifth time in program history. UT made its first trip to the College World Series since 2005.

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Kohlhepp first off the board for Notre Dame in MLB Draft

The first Irish baseball player is off the board!

It has been a long wait for many of the Notre Dame baseball players as they waited for their names to be called in the MLB Draft. It definitely helped that this years draft was much longer than last years, twenty rounds instead of just five, but the wait was still on through four rounds.

The wait finally came to an end as with the 145th overall pick in the 5th round, the Detroit Tigers selected right-handed pitcher Tanner Kohlhepp. The Tigers have invested heavily in pitching over the most recent drafts and the Irish pitcher goes to a team that is in the middle of a rebuild.

It has been a very pitching-heavy draft for the Tigers, as five of their first six selections have been hurlers. It remains to be seen where Kohlhepp will start his professional career, but what we do know is it’s another feather in the baseball programs hat as they send yet another player to the big leagues.

Texas pitcher Ty Madden selected in the first round by the Detroit Tigers

Ty Madden was selected in the first round of the MLB draft by the Detroit Tigers. He becomes UT’s first opening-round pick since 2013.

Going into Sunday night, Ty Madden was considered a top prospect on the board for the 2021 MLB draft. The Texas starting pitcher was one of the best in the country, leading the Longhorns to Omaha.

In ESPN’s final mock draft, Madden was projected to go No. 11 overall to the Washington Nationals. After throwing 113.2 innings with a 2.45 ERA and 10.8 K/9, he finished as a D1Baseball All-American.

Madden slid into the competitive balance portion of the first round, the Detroit Tigers ended his long wait at pick No. 32. He becomes the first Texas player in the first round of the MLB draft since Corey Knebel in 2013.

Detroit has now taken three college starting pitchers in the first round over the past five seasons. Alex Faedo came out of Florida (2018), while Casey Mize (Auburn) was the No. 1 overall pick in 2019.

College pitchers have a history of making it to the majors quicker thanks to their progressed development. According to MLB.com, Madden is a 55 overall prospect out of 80. His fastball and slider are rated the highest at 60.

Madden will officially join the Tigers’ organization this summer.

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Bad news for Clemson football and baseball

A two-sport Clemson signee was taken on Day 2 of the 2021 Major League Baseball Draft on Monday. North Oconee High School (Bogart, Ga.) product Bubba Chandler was selected by the Pittsburgh Pirates with the 72nd pick in the third round of the draft …

A two-sport Clemson signee was taken on Day 2 of the 2021 Major League Baseball Draft on Monday.

North Oconee High School (Bogart, Ga.) product Bubba Chandler was selected by the Pittsburgh Pirates with the 72nd pick in the third round of the draft as a pitcher.

The Clemson Insider confirmed that Chandler will pursue a future in professional baseball rather than try his hand as a two sport star at Clemson.

Chandler fell a lot farther than most analysts projected but is glad everything worked out the way it was supposed to.

“Yesterday was a little stressful but God has a plan I’m following that plan and prayed a lot last night,” Chandler told MLB.com. “Everything is going to work out, I’m only 18 years old and if you told me this a year ago that I would be in this situation I would’ve told you you’re crazy.  Everything works out for a reason and I’m proud to be a Pittsburgh Pirate.”

A pitcher/shortstop on the diamond and quarterback on the gridiron, Chandler has signed a letter of intent to play both football and baseball for the Tigers and enrolled at Clemson in June.

Draftees have until Aug. 1 to sign baseball contracts.

Chandler threw for 3,605 yards and 40 touchdowns while rushing for 983 yards and nine more scores during his career at North Oconee.

On the baseball field, Chandler struck out 16 in seven innings while hitting .435 during his pandemic-shorted season in the spring of 2020. He finished last season 8-1 with a 1.25 ERA and 96 strikeouts in 44 2/3 innings pitched and set a single-game school record in the playoffs with a 17-strikeout performance during which he allowed only one hit.

Chandler was ranked as the No. 21 overall prospect in this year’s draft class by MLB.com.

“After working with an 88-93 mph fastball last summer, Chandler has made a leap to operating at 92-95 and touching 97 this spring,” MLB.com’s scouting report reads. “He possesses a quick arm and also has added power to his downer curveball, which now resides in the upper 70s, and his less-used slider, which gets up to 85 mph. He shows trust in his low-80s changeup as well.

“Chandler’s athleticism and clean arm action and delivery bode well for his control and command, though he’s still learning to harness his enhanced stuff. He’s also an intriguing prospect as a switch-hitting shortstop with solid power potential and speed.”

Time to get the latest Clemson apparel to show your Tiger pride. Order your officially licensed Clemson gear right here!