|
Major League Baseball Selects 30 Big Ten Players in First-Year Player Draft
June 12, 2009
PARK RIDGE, Ill. – Thirty Big Ten baseball players were selected in the 2009 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft, held June 9-11, marking the Big Ten’s highest total in at least the last decade. The conference also produced multiple top-50 picks for the first time since 2002 and a first-rounder for the first time since 2004. Indiana’s Eric Arnett became the conference’s first first-round selection since Minnesota’s Glen Perkins in 2004, going to the Milwaukee Brewers with the 26th overall pick. The Big Ten Co-Pitcher of the Year is the second Hoosier in history to be drafted in the first round. Joining Arnett on Day 1 of the draft were teammates Josh Phegley and Matt Bashore, who where both taken in the Compensation A round. Phegley, a two-time first-team All-Big Ten catcher, went 38th overall to the Chicago White Sox, while Bashore, the Most Outstanding Player of the 2009 Big Ten Baseball Tournament, went to the Minnesota Twins with pick No. 46. Indiana was the only school in the NCAA with three top-50 picks in the 2009 draft. Each Big Ten baseball program had at least one player taken in the draft, while Indiana led the conference with seven picks and Minnesota was second with six selections. Twelve 2009 All-Big Ten selections were taken in the draft, including nine first-team All-Conference honorees. Among the group, Minnesota’s Derek McCallum was taken in the fourth round by his hometown Twins, Illinois’ Brandon Wikoff was selected in the fifth round by the Houston Astros, and Michigan’s Chris Fetter was grabbed in the ninth by the San Francisco Giants. Overall, seven Big Ten players were taken in the draft’s first 10 rounds as Indiana’s Evan Crawford was also taken in Round 9 with the 267th overall pick by the San Francisco Giants.
The complete list of 2009 Big Ten draftees can be found below.
|
|
