Drafted Players - Part II

Get ready for a lot of player updates here, as I'm going to try to get all the way through the remainder of our draft.

Round 16 - Tom Davis, signed, Eugene - A right-hander from Fordham (and Madison, CT where some of my family is from), Tom started the season in Eugene's rotation. After struggling a bit, in part due to a long season, Tom didn't pitch for a few weeks. He did get back on the mound earlier this week pitching out of the pen for Eugene.

Round 17 - Derek Shunk, signed, Eugene - A shortstop at Villanova, Derek has been a jack of all trades at Eugene playing multiple infield positions and some DH. He has hit for some power and walked, though his playing decreased after the signings of Figueroa and Weems.

Round 18 - Nick Vincent, signed, Eugene - A reliever at Long Beach St and at the beginning of tenure in Eugene, we moved Nick into the rotation in mid-season. A good strike thrower, Nick has thrown 41 innings in seven starts and eight relief appearances while yielding 36 hits and notching 36 strikeouts. Nick went up to AAA Portland earlier this week to make a spot start for the Beavers and went five innings giving up two hits and three earned runs.

Round 19 - Robert Lara, signed, Arizona - A 6'2" catcher from the University of Central Florida, Robert has absolutely raked in Arizona. He has hit .344 with a .492 obp and a .483 slg. He has more walks than strikeouts, is 2nd in the league in obp (behind Decker), and 5th in average. Overall, he's had a tremendous start to his career.

Round 20 - Jason Codiroli, signed, Arizona - A leadoff hitting centerfielder from West Valley College, Jason has also had a very nice first season. He has hit .324 with a .435 obp and has stolen 14 bases. He currently ranks 4th in the league in obp, 5th in runs scored, and 10th in average.

Round 21 - Joey Railey, signed, Arizona - A left-handed hitting 2B from the University of San Francisco, Joey began the season in Eugene and reported to Arizona after the signings of Figueroa and Weems. In a relatively small sample in Arizona, Joey has posted a .375 obp.

Round 22 - Chris Wilkes, signed, Arizona - A 6'4", 235 lb high school right-hander from Dr. Phillips HS in Orlando, Chris signed with the Padres in lieu of going to play college football. We're fortunate he did. Starting out in the bullpen and then moving into the rotation, Chris is leading the Arizona League in wins (7), has posted a 2.81 ERA (6th in the league) and pitched 57.2 ip (tied for third). He has walked just five hitters all year while striking out 41. He seems to get better with every start (zero walks and just four runs in his last 27 innings) and has shown an advanced feel for pitching.

Round 23 - Nick Conaway, unsigned - Nick was not in school this past spring when we drafted him, though previously he had been the closer for the University of Oklahoma before arm surgery last winter. Nick decided that he would like to go back to school and re-enter the draft next year.

Round 24 - Eric Gonzalez, signed, Arizona - A 6'5" right-hander from the University of South Alabama (and originally from the Canary Islands), Eric has had a great season out of the pen for Arizona. In 19.1 ip he has allowed just three runs (1.40 ERA) and punched out 28 hitters.

Round 25 - Logan Power, unsigned - An OF from the University of Mississippi, Logan decided that he would like to go back to school.

Round 26 - Dean Anna, signed, Arizona - A middle infielder from Ball State, Dean began the season in Eugene before moving to Arizona after the signings of Figueroa and Weems. Dean had a .366 opb and a .355 slg in Eugene playing both SS and 2B and has stolen 11 bases in 12 attempts. He has the distinction of hitting a homer in his first professional at-bat.

Round 27 - Aaron Murphree, signed, Arizona - A left-handed hitting 6'5", 235 lb OF and 1B from the University fo Arkansas, Aaron has big power. Currently, Aaron has a .383 obp and a .435 slg for Arizona. Interestingly, he is ried for the team lead in triples with three.

Round 28 - Nick Schumacher, signed, Eugene - A 6'4" right-hander from Wayne St (in Nebraska), Nick began the season in the Arizona pen before moving up to Eugene. Between his two stops, he has thrown 37.1 ip, allowed 39 hits, seven walks, and compiled 34 strikeouts.

Round 29 - Omar Gutierrez, signed, Ft. Wayne - A right-hander from Texas A&M, Corpus Christi, we moved Omar to Ft. Wayne after he threw six shutout innings in Eugene with nine strikeouts. The 23-year old has since made 23 appearances out of the pen for Ft. Wayne, going 26.2 innings with 28 hits, 17 walks, and 37 strikeouts.

Round 30 - Bobby Verbick, signed, Eugene - A right-handed hitting outfielder from Sam Houston State, Bobby has had an excellent season in Eugene. Bobby currently has a .397 obp and a .433 slg, and his 31 RBI are tied for 2nd on the team behind Sawyer Carroll.

Round 31 - Sean Gilmartin, unsigned - We knew Sean would be a tough sign, as he was committed to Florida State. He decided to enroll in school rather than sign, and we'll be tracking his progress over the next three years.

Round 32 - Kyle Heyne, signed, Eugene - A right-hander from Ball State, Kyle made a quick stop (3 ip) in Arizona, but has spent the bulk of the season in Eugene. There he has pitched 34 innings in relief, compiling a 4.76 ERA.

Round 33 - Dan Robertson, signed, Eugene - Well, it's not often the the Northwest League MVP comes out of the 33rd round. A sparkplug centerfielder from Oregon State, Dan has had an exceptional season for Eugene. He is leading the league in hitting (.371), leading in hits (102), leading in runs (55), second in obp (.438), and third in stolen bases (20).

Round 34 - Matt Gaski, signed, Arizona - A left-handed hitting shortstop from UNC Greensboro, Matt has spent the season in the Arizona infield. He has more walks than strikeouts and currently posts a .362 obp.

Round 35 - Logan Gelbrich, signed, Eugene - An experienced handler of pitchers, Logan has done a nice job for Eugene both offensively and defensively while splitting the catching duties with Emmanuel Quiles. Logan is hitting .253 with a .382 obp.

Round 36 - Jake Shadle, unsigned - A right-handed pitcher from Graham-Kapowsin HS in Washington, Jake decided to attend school.

Round 37 - Matt Means, signed, Arizona - A left-hander from Sonoma State, Matt has pitched for both Eugene and Arizona this summer. After struggling with his command in Eugene, Matt has struck out 13 against four walks in 10 innings of work in Arizona.

Round 38 - Zach Herr, signed, Eugene - A left-hander from the University of Nebraska, we knew that Zach wasn't going to be an easy sign after a terrific season in the Cornhusker bullpen. Fortunately, we were able to get him signed later in the summer, and he's pitched 12.2 innings so far. After yielding five earned runs in his first 1.2 innings, Zach has allowed just one run in his past 11 innings of work.

Round 39 - Gary Poynter, signed, Eugene - A strong right-hander from Lubbock Christian, Gary started the season in Arizona before moving up to Eugene. With a fastball that reaches 94 mph, Gary has pitched primarily out of the pen, though he has made two starts. All in all he has a 4.71 ERA in 28.2 innings across the two leagues.

Round 40 - Colin Lynch, signed, Arizona - A right-hander from St. John's, Colin has been a workhorse in the Arizona pen, pitching 30 innings in 21 appearances (league leader). He has notched 36 strikeouts against nine walks.

Round 41 - Zach Dascenzo, unsigned - A catcher from Laurel Highland HS in Uniontown, PA, Zach decided to attend school.

Round 42 - Brad Brach, signed, Arizona - A 6'6" right-hander from Monmouth, Brad has been an integral part of the pen in Arizona. Over 22.1 innings he has a 2.01 ERA and has struck out more batters (33) than baserunners allowed (28).

Round 43 - James Tunnell, unsigned - As with most high schoolers in this area of the draft, James decided not to start his professional baseball career just yet.

So there you have it. As I wrote in the previous installment, we're incredibly happy with the way this draft came together and the early returns have been very positive. This group will continue to be fun to track, and let's hope that some of them aren't too far away from Petco.