Seventeen Knights Selected in 2014 MLB June Draft.
June 8, 2014Jace Fry of OSU First Alum Picked; White Sox Choose Southpaw in 3rd Round
Left-handed pitcher Jace Fry of Oregon State, a 2011 alumnus, topped this year's impressive list of former/current Corvallis Knights selected in the 2014 Major League Baseball first-year player draft.
Fry went to the Chicago White Sox in the third round as the 77th overall selection. He was 11-2, 1.80 in 16 starts for the Beavers in 2014, with four shutouts, a no-hitter, and 98 strikeouts in 120.1 innings. His stellar spring performance earned Jace first-team all-Pac-12 and Pac-12 Pitcher of the Year honors.
The southpaw from Beaverton joined the Knights following his senior year at Southridge High School and was 2-1, 1.40 in nine games, with 33 strikeouts in 38.1 innings. He was named second-team all-West Coast League and was ranked as the league's top pro prospect by Baseball America and Perfect Game.
Seventeen former or current Knights were selected overall.
"Once again the MLB draft illustrates the number of talented players who play for the Knights every summer," Knights' president Dan Segel said. "We wish all the draftees much success in pro baseball and we will be following their careers closely as they strive to reach the major leagues."
Cal Poly outfielder Nick Torres (2012) went to the San Diego Padres in the fourth round as the 117th overall selection. He hit .322 in 2014, with six homers and 52 RBIs, and was an all-Big West Conference selection. He hit .296 in 50 games for the Knights in 2012, with 16 doubles, a homer and 29 RBIs.
Prospective 2014 Knight Kevin Padlo, a third baseman from Murrieta Valley High in Murrieta Valley, Calif., went to Colorado in the fifth round as the 143rd selection. He's a University of San Diego signee.
Infielder Trace Loehr of Rex Putnam High School in Milwaukie, recently signed for the 2014 team, went to Oakland in the sixth round as the 192nd overall pick.
OSU pitcher Ben Wetzler (2011) was selected in the ninth round by the Miami Marlins as the 257th overall pick. He was 12-1 and led the country with a 0.78 ERA in 2014. He was also all-Pac-12, a finalist for the Dick Howser Trophy, and a Louisville Slugger first-team All-American.
Wetzler was 0-0 with two saves and a 0.38 ERA in 16 appearances for the Knights in 2011, with 19 strikeouts in 24 innings. He was ranked as the WCL's No. 3 pro prospect by Perfect game and No. 4 by Baseball America.
Another member of the 2011 pitching staff, OSU's Scott Schultz, went to Arizona in the 10th round as the 300th overall selection. He was 7-2 with a 1.61 ERA this past spring. With the Knights, Schultz was 4-3 with a save and a 3.56 ERA in 16 games, with 32 strikeouts in 30.1 innings.
The Knights had an even larger haul on Saturday, when eleven more players with team ties selected, including 2012 and 2013 Joe Segel Hustle Award winner Chris Rabago of UC Irvine, 2011 MVP David Armendariz of Cal Poly Pomona and 2012 MVP Greg Mahle of UC Santa Barbara (pictured covering first base at Wenatchee with fellow draftee Nick Torres).
A shortstop, Rabago (2012, 2013) was drafted by Colorado in the 13th round as the 383rd overall pick. He was rated as the No. 25 WCL prospect by Perfect Game in 2013.
Midland (Texas) College sophomore catcher Chris Shaw (2014), an all-region player for the Chaps, went to St. Louis in the 14th round as the 435th overall pick.
A left-handed pitcher, Mahle (2012) went to the Los Angeles Angels in the 15th round as the 449th overall pick. He pitched the first 9-inning no-hitter in Knights' history, hit .337 as a DH/1B and was 3-1, 2.54 with three saves as a pitcher for the Knights and was a first-team all-WCL selection.
Concordia (Ore.) junior center fielder Blake Drake (2013), a first-team all-WCL selection, went to St. Louis in the 18th round as the 555th overall pick. Drake hit .300 in 57 games and was ranked as the WCL's No. 2 prospect by Baseball America and the No. 8 prospect by Perfect Game.
Cal Poly Pomona senior first baseman David Armendariz (2011), the 2014 California Collegiate Athletic Association Player of the Year, went to Cleveland in the 23rd round as the 698th overall pick. Armendariz was named second-team all-WCL after hitting .286 in 52 games, and was ranked as the WCL's No. 17 pro prospect by Perfect Game.
Cal Poly senior third baseman Jimmy Allen (2011), a first-team Big West Conference pick, was selected by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 24th round as the 729th overall pick. Allen hit .255 in 53 games for the Knights and was ranked as the league's No. 15 pro prospect by Perfect Game.
San Diego Christian outfielder Cade Gotta (2011), the 2014 Golden State Athletic Conference Player of the Year, went to Tampa Bay in the 26th round as the 787th overall pick. He hit .342 for the Knights.
Grand Canyon junior pitcher Jorge Perez (2012, 2013) went to the New York Yankees in round 30 as the 902nd overall pick. He was ranked as the No. 2 WCL pro prospect by Baseball America and Perfect Game in 2013 after going 3-1, 1.25 with six saves for the Knights.
UC Riverside senior outfielder David Andriese (2010, 2011) was selected by Pittsburgh in the 30th round as the 911th overall pick. He was a second-team all-WCL selection in 2011, when he hit .286 with a homer and 28 RBIs.
San Diego State pitcher Justin Hepner (2011) went to Miami in the 36th round as the 1,067th overall pick.
Oregon State corner infielder Kavin Keyes (2013) went to Seattle in the 39th round as the 1,161st overall pick. A late-season signee, he hit .421, with a homer and eight RBIs.
To check out a complete list of WCL players drafted, click here.
