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Nineteen Anglers Chosen in MLB Draft
At the conclusion of the 2011 Major League Baseball amateur draft, 19 Anglers alumni were picked up by MLB teams. These players played for Chatham in 2009, 2010, or over both summers. Below is a breakdown of what they did over the collegiate season to warrant getting drafted.
Five guys played on the Cape exclusively in 2009 for a Chatham team that finished with a 21-23 record over the summer. The first 2009 teamer to go in the draft was Dean Green (Barry). Green led the Buccaneers with a .400 average in 2011 while starting every game at first base. Green's 19 homers and 22 doubles helped propel Barry to a 40-17 record in Division II. Green went in the 11th round to the Detroit Tigers.
2009 Angler Jeff Schaus (Clemson) got picked up in the 16th round by the Dodgers. The Tigers' leftfielder upheld a .323 average over 63 starts with one of the ACC's elite teams. The senior was drafted in the 27th round of the 2010 MLB draft but chose to stay with Clemson.
Matt Duffy (Tennessee) earned a 20th round selection by the Houston Astros. The senior added power to the lineup while his consistency at the plate showed through in 2011. Duffy's average rose to .312 despite the changes in bat regulations across the NCAA.
Patrick Johnson (UNC) helped his Tar Heels move onto the Super Regionals last weekend and received additional good news during the 25th round of the draft. North Carolina has turned in a 48-14 record this season with Johnson as the ace. A 12-1 record and 2.36 ERA bolster the senior's resume as he enters professional baseball in the Rockies organization.
Tyler Rahmatulla (UCLA) rounded out the draft class of 2009 Anglers. In limited plate appearances, the junior hit .250 this season. It was the 2010 collegiate season that earned Rahmatulla a spot in the Cardinals organization, though, a season in which he started 61 games at second base with seven home runs and an average north of .300. St. Louis selected Rahmatulla in the 34th round.
The first Angler off the board from the 2010 squad was Vanderbilt first baseman Aaron Westlake (pictured). Westlake was the 106th overall pick and will be in the Detroit Tigers organization. Anchoring a stellar 2010 campaign with a productive summer in Chatham helped Westlake, but for now the junior is focused on helping his team advance beyond its Super Regional in Nashville. Westlake boasts a .349 batting average heading into the weekend.
Seven rounds after Westlake was picked, Dan Paolini was selected. Paolini (Siena) notched a .380 average as the Saints' everyday second baseman. His bat accounted for 67 RBI during his junior season, a mark which topped his own single-season record with the program. Paolini was the 10th round pick of the Seattle Mariners.
Teammates on the 2010 Anglers squad Brian Humphries (Pepperdine) and Mark Ginther (Oklahoma State) were next off the board and fell within three picks of each other. Humphries was selected as the 438th overall pick by the Colorado Rockies in the 14th round, while Ginther went just three picks later at 441st overall to the White Sox. Ginther provided a solid infield glove for the Cowboys while Humphries' .288 average ranked second amongst Waves players.
With the 591st pick of the 2011 draft, the White Sox selected closer Kevin Vance (UConn), a member of Chatham's 2010 team. UConn's road to Omaha has been paved largely by Vance, who holds a team-best 1.57 ERA (1-0) with 13 saves in 26 appearances. Vance's Huskies will play their Super Regional this weekend at South Carolina. The junior closer was a 19th round selection.
Garrett Smith (Boston College), a temporary player on Chatham's 2010 roster, earned a nod in the 20th round courtesy of the Tampa Bay Rays. Smith primarily started at first base for the Eagles, but saw time at catcher and also filled the closer role in 2011.
Smith's teammate with the Anglers as well as with the Eagles, Mike Dennhardt, went in the 32nd round. Dennhardt began the year as the Friday night starter with Boston College but injured his elbow midway through the 2011 campaign, and missed the second half of the season. However, scouts got a good enough look at his arm in his two summers with Chatham, and the Reds made him the 985th overall pick.
Top Trojan bats Ricky Oropesa (USC) and Joe De Pinto (USC) were tabbed on Day Two of the draft. Oropesa went to the Giants with the 116th overall pick in the third round, while De Pinto waited until the 21st round and was picked up by the White Sox. Oropesa roped seven homers with a team-best .322 average in 2011. De Pinto finished his senior season as the Trojans' everyday second baseman, a position he held all four seasons with the program.
Louisville product Derek Self, who joined the Anglers last summer, was a 27th round selection by the A's. The Oakland A's, that is. One of six Cardinals picked in this year's amateur draft, the junior righty accumulated a 3-3 record while his 2.26 ERA led the team this past season.
Towering junior Greg Larson (Florida), who wore an Anglers uniform in 2010, was a 29th round selection of the Los Angeles Angels. The selection comes as the Gators prepare for Super Regional action in Gainesville later this week. Larson holds a 2.25 ERA across 36 innings thrown this season. The 6'8 setup man has walked only six batters thus far while striking out 27.
The Washington Nationals grabbed Peter Verdin (Georgia) in the 39th round. The junior Bulldog anchored Georgia's outfield this season and contributed speed offensively, stealing 13 bases in 14 attempts for Georgia.
Several ballplayers who spent two summers in Chatham between 2009 and 2010 were selected earlier this week as well. The biggest name of these players was also the first Angler to go in the draft. Logan Verrett (Baylor) represented the 101st overall pick, a selection by the Mets early in the third round. Verrett recorded seven wins over 15 starts with a pair of complete games this past season. Baylor's road to Omaha stalled in the regionals, but Verrett led the team throughout a stellar season for the Bears. The junior fanned 96 batters in 101 innings pitched as Baylor's ace.
Jacob Stallings (UNC) spent two summers playing for Chatham as well, and was rewarded with a 42nd round selection. Many considered Stallings to be the best defensive catcher in the ACC in 2011, but the junior bolstered his value with a .285 average at the plate as well.
Nineteen Anglers from the 2009 or 2010 Chatham squads were selected in the MLB amateur draft. Several of these players may be en route to Omaha in just a week, while others will report for duty with their Major League affiliates shortly. Follow these names, along with your 2011 Anglers as the collegiate season comes to a close and the summer begins!
Five guys played on the Cape exclusively in 2009 for a Chatham team that finished with a 21-23 record over the summer. The first 2009 teamer to go in the draft was Dean Green (Barry). Green led the Buccaneers with a .400 average in 2011 while starting every game at first base. Green's 19 homers and 22 doubles helped propel Barry to a 40-17 record in Division II. Green went in the 11th round to the Detroit Tigers.
2009 Angler Jeff Schaus (Clemson) got picked up in the 16th round by the Dodgers. The Tigers' leftfielder upheld a .323 average over 63 starts with one of the ACC's elite teams. The senior was drafted in the 27th round of the 2010 MLB draft but chose to stay with Clemson.
Matt Duffy (Tennessee) earned a 20th round selection by the Houston Astros. The senior added power to the lineup while his consistency at the plate showed through in 2011. Duffy's average rose to .312 despite the changes in bat regulations across the NCAA.
Patrick Johnson (UNC) helped his Tar Heels move onto the Super Regionals last weekend and received additional good news during the 25th round of the draft. North Carolina has turned in a 48-14 record this season with Johnson as the ace. A 12-1 record and 2.36 ERA bolster the senior's resume as he enters professional baseball in the Rockies organization.
Tyler Rahmatulla (UCLA) rounded out the draft class of 2009 Anglers. In limited plate appearances, the junior hit .250 this season. It was the 2010 collegiate season that earned Rahmatulla a spot in the Cardinals organization, though, a season in which he started 61 games at second base with seven home runs and an average north of .300. St. Louis selected Rahmatulla in the 34th round.
The first Angler off the board from the 2010 squad was Vanderbilt first baseman Aaron Westlake (pictured). Westlake was the 106th overall pick and will be in the Detroit Tigers organization. Anchoring a stellar 2010 campaign with a productive summer in Chatham helped Westlake, but for now the junior is focused on helping his team advance beyond its Super Regional in Nashville. Westlake boasts a .349 batting average heading into the weekend.
Seven rounds after Westlake was picked, Dan Paolini was selected. Paolini (Siena) notched a .380 average as the Saints' everyday second baseman. His bat accounted for 67 RBI during his junior season, a mark which topped his own single-season record with the program. Paolini was the 10th round pick of the Seattle Mariners.
Teammates on the 2010 Anglers squad Brian Humphries (Pepperdine) and Mark Ginther (Oklahoma State) were next off the board and fell within three picks of each other. Humphries was selected as the 438th overall pick by the Colorado Rockies in the 14th round, while Ginther went just three picks later at 441st overall to the White Sox. Ginther provided a solid infield glove for the Cowboys while Humphries' .288 average ranked second amongst Waves players.
With the 591st pick of the 2011 draft, the White Sox selected closer Kevin Vance (UConn), a member of Chatham's 2010 team. UConn's road to Omaha has been paved largely by Vance, who holds a team-best 1.57 ERA (1-0) with 13 saves in 26 appearances. Vance's Huskies will play their Super Regional this weekend at South Carolina. The junior closer was a 19th round selection.
Garrett Smith (Boston College), a temporary player on Chatham's 2010 roster, earned a nod in the 20th round courtesy of the Tampa Bay Rays. Smith primarily started at first base for the Eagles, but saw time at catcher and also filled the closer role in 2011.
Smith's teammate with the Anglers as well as with the Eagles, Mike Dennhardt, went in the 32nd round. Dennhardt began the year as the Friday night starter with Boston College but injured his elbow midway through the 2011 campaign, and missed the second half of the season. However, scouts got a good enough look at his arm in his two summers with Chatham, and the Reds made him the 985th overall pick.
Top Trojan bats Ricky Oropesa (USC) and Joe De Pinto (USC) were tabbed on Day Two of the draft. Oropesa went to the Giants with the 116th overall pick in the third round, while De Pinto waited until the 21st round and was picked up by the White Sox. Oropesa roped seven homers with a team-best .322 average in 2011. De Pinto finished his senior season as the Trojans' everyday second baseman, a position he held all four seasons with the program.
Louisville product Derek Self, who joined the Anglers last summer, was a 27th round selection by the A's. The Oakland A's, that is. One of six Cardinals picked in this year's amateur draft, the junior righty accumulated a 3-3 record while his 2.26 ERA led the team this past season.
Towering junior Greg Larson (Florida), who wore an Anglers uniform in 2010, was a 29th round selection of the Los Angeles Angels. The selection comes as the Gators prepare for Super Regional action in Gainesville later this week. Larson holds a 2.25 ERA across 36 innings thrown this season. The 6'8 setup man has walked only six batters thus far while striking out 27.
The Washington Nationals grabbed Peter Verdin (Georgia) in the 39th round. The junior Bulldog anchored Georgia's outfield this season and contributed speed offensively, stealing 13 bases in 14 attempts for Georgia.
Several ballplayers who spent two summers in Chatham between 2009 and 2010 were selected earlier this week as well. The biggest name of these players was also the first Angler to go in the draft. Logan Verrett (Baylor) represented the 101st overall pick, a selection by the Mets early in the third round. Verrett recorded seven wins over 15 starts with a pair of complete games this past season. Baylor's road to Omaha stalled in the regionals, but Verrett led the team throughout a stellar season for the Bears. The junior fanned 96 batters in 101 innings pitched as Baylor's ace.
Jacob Stallings (UNC) spent two summers playing for Chatham as well, and was rewarded with a 42nd round selection. Many considered Stallings to be the best defensive catcher in the ACC in 2011, but the junior bolstered his value with a .285 average at the plate as well.
Nineteen Anglers from the 2009 or 2010 Chatham squads were selected in the MLB amateur draft. Several of these players may be en route to Omaha in just a week, while others will report for duty with their Major League affiliates shortly. Follow these names, along with your 2011 Anglers as the collegiate season comes to a close and the summer begins!
