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Major League Baseball Selects 22 Big Ten Players In Annual Draft
June 9, 2004 Twenty-two Big Ten student-athletes were given the opportunity to play professional baseball after being selected in the annual Major League Baseball Draft from June 7-8, the greatest total in the last four years, surpassing the high of 19 draftees in 2002. Minnesota lefthander Glen Perkins, the 2004 Big Ten Pitcher of the Year and a unanimous First Team All-Big Ten choice, became just the third League standout in the last four years to be picked in the first round as he was drafted 22nd overall by his home-state Minnesota Twins. Perkins is the highest Conference draftee since Ohio State's Nick Swisher was selected 16th overall in 2002 and the highest drafted Gopher since Dan Wilson was chosen seventh overall in 1990. Two other Big Ten hurlers were picked in the third round in 2003 Big Ten Pitcher of the Year Scott Lewis (77th overall by Cleveland) of Ohio State and Northwestern's J.A. Happ (92nd overall by Philadelphia), the Wildcats first three-time All-Conference First Team honoree. Overall, 13 members of the 2004 All-Big Ten Baseball team were drafted this week, including each of the five pitchers to collect First Team accolades. Selections from the First Team included Perkins, Happ, Minnesota's Sam Steidl (12th round), Ohio State's Josh Newman (19th round), Iowa's Nathan Johnson (20th round), Michigan State's Travis Gulick (23rd round) and Michigan's Jim Brauer (42nd round) and Brandon Roberts (45th round).The entire list of Major League Baseball draftees from the Big Ten follows:
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