Source: BigTenNetwork.com
Posted: Thursday, June 05, 2008 9:39:00 PM EST
Published: Saturday, June 07, 2008 2:28:30 PM EST
Posted: Thursday, June 05, 2008 9:39:00 PM EST
Published: Saturday, June 07, 2008 2:28:30 PM EST
The 2008 MLB First-Year Player Draft was held Thursday-Friday. Find out which Big Ten players were selected and where they are headed below.
ROUND 2
#61 Purdue's Josh Lindblom, Los Angeles Dodgers
Lindblom was a second team All-Big Ten selection by the league's head coaches in 2008 after establishing a Big Ten record with nine saves in conference play. Overall, the junior right-hander had 12 saves and a 3.32 earned-run average in 30 appearances. Lindblom struck out 44 batters in 40.2 innings on the hill, limiting opposing batters to a .245 average.
ROUND 4
#116 Illinois' Kyle Hudson, Baltimore Orioles
Hudson was a unanimous first-team All-Big Ten selection after wrapping up an incredible junior season in which he hit a team-high .398 and reached base at a team-best .498 clip. He tied the school stolen base record by stealing 40-of-49 bases and broke the Big Ten record for stolen bases in conference games during the season. Hudson also broke the conference record for runs scored in Big Ten play with 40.
#120 Penn State's Drew O'Neil, Chicago White Sox
This marks the second straight year that O'Neil has been drafted in the MLB draft, as he was also taken by the Cincinnati Reds in the eighth round last year with the 259th overall pick. O'Neil, who elected to return to Penn State rather than sign with the Reds last year, earned his degree in economics last month and was an Academic All-Big Ten selection in addition to his exploits on the field, one of a record 261 Penn State student-athletes to earn Academic All-Big Ten honors for the 2007-08 school year.
#138 Purdue's Ryne White, Arizona Diamondbacks
White earned all-conference honors all three seasons at Purdue, including a consensus first team selection at first base as a sophomore when he led the Big Ten with a .452 batting average. White was a second team outfielder as a true freshman and then earned third team honors as a junior at first base. The left-hander was a Freshman All-American in 2006 by Collegiate Baseball and a 2007 All-American by Ping!Baseball.
ROUND 5
#154 Michigan's Jason Christian, Oakland A's
Christian had his best offensive season at Michigan during the 2008 campaign, posting career bests in batting average (.330), triples (6), runs batted in (48), slugging percentage (.567), walks (39) and on-base percentage (.445). The All-Big Ten first team shortstop and an NCAA Regional all-tournament selection, Christian reached safely in 32 of his final 34 games and was on base in all but four games in which he had a plate appearance all year.
#171 Michigan's Zach Putnam, Cleveland Indians
Putnam, the Big Ten Pitcher of the Year, was 9-0 in his 12 starts, posting a 2.54 earned run average in 76.2 innings pitched. The junior's undefeated season is the third best single-season performance in the 142-year history of the program. Putnam was selected All-Big Ten first team as a starting pitcher and at DH. He is the only player in conference history to be named to the first team at each position, as he has done so in each of the last two seasons.
ROUND 6
#182 Ohio State's J.B. Shuck, Houston Astros
Shuck, 5-11 and 185 pounds, is coming off a fine junior season in which he was chosen third-team all-Big Ten Conference as both an outfielder and a pitcher. He led the Ohio State pitching staff with 76 strikeouts and an opponents' batting average of .216 while posting a 5-3 record and a 4.29 ERA. Offensively, Shuck was second on the team with a .356 average and he led with 47 runs scored and 22 stolen bases (26 attempts).
ROUND 11
#329 Indiana's Andrew Means, Cincinnati Reds
Means led the Big Ten with 72 runs and eight triples scored and finished third in the conference with 33 stolen bases. He also hit .357 with two home runs, 11 doubles and 32 RBI while showing tremendous range in center for the Hoosiers. The Avon Lake, Ohio, native was the only Big Ten player to be named Player of the Week twice in 2008.
ROUND 12
#359 Michigan State's Kyle Day, Cincinnati Reds
Day had his best season as a Spartan in 2008, batting a career-best .320 and posting career highs in home runs (9), RBI (48) and slugging (.543). Day also finished in a four-way tie for the Big Ten lead with 39 walks to help him to a team-leading .448 on-base percentage. Day's home run total was tied for eighth in the conference.
#366 Minnesota's Kyle Carr, Minnesota Twins
On the season, Carr was 2-7 with a 6.13 ERA and struck out 67 batters in 69.0 innings. He finished fifth in the Big Ten and led the team in strikeouts. Carr was also 2-4 with a 6.95 ERA and 41 strikeouts in 44 innings in Big Ten play. He finished the season fourth in the Big Ten in strikeouts. Overall, Carr averaged 8.74 strikeouts-per-nine innings this year.
ROUND 13
#404 Illinois' Scott Shaw, NY Mets
Shaw, a 6-foot-5, 230-pound starting pitcher, went 4-4 with a 7.83 ERA in 2007, making 11 starts and tossing two complete games. He struck out 48 batters in 56 1/3 innings and walked only 24 batters, which ranked seventh in the Big Ten. In conference games, he gave up only 38 hits, which ranked third.
ROUND 2
#61 Purdue's Josh Lindblom, Los Angeles Dodgers
Lindblom was a second team All-Big Ten selection by the league's head coaches in 2008 after establishing a Big Ten record with nine saves in conference play. Overall, the junior right-hander had 12 saves and a 3.32 earned-run average in 30 appearances. Lindblom struck out 44 batters in 40.2 innings on the hill, limiting opposing batters to a .245 average.
ROUND 4
#116 Illinois' Kyle Hudson, Baltimore Orioles
Hudson was a unanimous first-team All-Big Ten selection after wrapping up an incredible junior season in which he hit a team-high .398 and reached base at a team-best .498 clip. He tied the school stolen base record by stealing 40-of-49 bases and broke the Big Ten record for stolen bases in conference games during the season. Hudson also broke the conference record for runs scored in Big Ten play with 40.
#120 Penn State's Drew O'Neil, Chicago White Sox
This marks the second straight year that O'Neil has been drafted in the MLB draft, as he was also taken by the Cincinnati Reds in the eighth round last year with the 259th overall pick. O'Neil, who elected to return to Penn State rather than sign with the Reds last year, earned his degree in economics last month and was an Academic All-Big Ten selection in addition to his exploits on the field, one of a record 261 Penn State student-athletes to earn Academic All-Big Ten honors for the 2007-08 school year.
#138 Purdue's Ryne White, Arizona Diamondbacks
White earned all-conference honors all three seasons at Purdue, including a consensus first team selection at first base as a sophomore when he led the Big Ten with a .452 batting average. White was a second team outfielder as a true freshman and then earned third team honors as a junior at first base. The left-hander was a Freshman All-American in 2006 by Collegiate Baseball and a 2007 All-American by Ping!Baseball.
ROUND 5
#154 Michigan's Jason Christian, Oakland A's
Christian had his best offensive season at Michigan during the 2008 campaign, posting career bests in batting average (.330), triples (6), runs batted in (48), slugging percentage (.567), walks (39) and on-base percentage (.445). The All-Big Ten first team shortstop and an NCAA Regional all-tournament selection, Christian reached safely in 32 of his final 34 games and was on base in all but four games in which he had a plate appearance all year.
#171 Michigan's Zach Putnam, Cleveland Indians
Putnam, the Big Ten Pitcher of the Year, was 9-0 in his 12 starts, posting a 2.54 earned run average in 76.2 innings pitched. The junior's undefeated season is the third best single-season performance in the 142-year history of the program. Putnam was selected All-Big Ten first team as a starting pitcher and at DH. He is the only player in conference history to be named to the first team at each position, as he has done so in each of the last two seasons.
ROUND 6
#182 Ohio State's J.B. Shuck, Houston Astros
Shuck, 5-11 and 185 pounds, is coming off a fine junior season in which he was chosen third-team all-Big Ten Conference as both an outfielder and a pitcher. He led the Ohio State pitching staff with 76 strikeouts and an opponents' batting average of .216 while posting a 5-3 record and a 4.29 ERA. Offensively, Shuck was second on the team with a .356 average and he led with 47 runs scored and 22 stolen bases (26 attempts).
ROUND 11
#329 Indiana's Andrew Means, Cincinnati Reds
Means led the Big Ten with 72 runs and eight triples scored and finished third in the conference with 33 stolen bases. He also hit .357 with two home runs, 11 doubles and 32 RBI while showing tremendous range in center for the Hoosiers. The Avon Lake, Ohio, native was the only Big Ten player to be named Player of the Week twice in 2008.
ROUND 12
#359 Michigan State's Kyle Day, Cincinnati Reds
Day had his best season as a Spartan in 2008, batting a career-best .320 and posting career highs in home runs (9), RBI (48) and slugging (.543). Day also finished in a four-way tie for the Big Ten lead with 39 walks to help him to a team-leading .448 on-base percentage. Day's home run total was tied for eighth in the conference.
#366 Minnesota's Kyle Carr, Minnesota Twins
On the season, Carr was 2-7 with a 6.13 ERA and struck out 67 batters in 69.0 innings. He finished fifth in the Big Ten and led the team in strikeouts. Carr was also 2-4 with a 6.95 ERA and 41 strikeouts in 44 innings in Big Ten play. He finished the season fourth in the Big Ten in strikeouts. Overall, Carr averaged 8.74 strikeouts-per-nine innings this year.
ROUND 13
#404 Illinois' Scott Shaw, NY Mets
Shaw, a 6-foot-5, 230-pound starting pitcher, went 4-4 with a 7.83 ERA in 2007, making 11 starts and tossing two complete games. He struck out 48 batters in 56 1/3 innings and walked only 24 batters, which ranked seventh in the Big Ten. In conference games, he gave up only 38 hits, which ranked third.
#411 Michigan's Adam Abraham, Cleveland Indians
Abraham had the best season of his career, hitting .352 while starting all 60 games at third base. The junior also set career marks with 82 hits, three triples, seven home runs, 54 runs batted in and 123 total bases, and he posted career numbers with a .528 slugging percentage and .415 on-base percentage. An All-Big Ten third-team selection, Abraham was named to all-tournament teams at the NCAA Ann Arbor Regional and Big Ten Conference Tournament.
ROUND 14
#417 Iowa's Caleb Curry, San Francisco Giants
Curry earned his second bid as an outfielder to the second all-league team. The senior boasted team highs in hitting (.396), home runs (7), RBI (65), stolen bases (45), slugging percentage (.584) and sacrifice flies (8). Curry became Iowa's single-season stolen base leader with 45.
ROUND 18
#546 Minnesota's Matt Nohelty, Minnesota Twins
Nohelty was named First-Team All-Big Ten. He became the first outfielder in the Big Ten since Sam Steidl (in 2003 & 04) to receive First-Team All-Big Ten honors in back-to-back seasons. Nohelty batted .397 with 53 runs, 94 hits, four triples, 39 RBI, 24 stolen bases and a .438 on-base percentage. He finished third in the Big Ten in batting average, second in hits, tied for eighth in runs, tied for fourth in stolen bases and tied for sixth in triples. His 94 hits were the most by a Golden Gopher since 1999, and his .397 batting average was the highest since 2001.
ROUND 19
#591 Michigan's Nate Recknagel, Cleveland Indians
Recknagel, the Big Ten Player of the Year, closed his career at Michigan with one of the most dominant offensive seasons in the 142-year history of the program. He finished the regular season tied for third in the nation with a single-season school record 23 home runs. Recknagel ends his career ranked in the top 10 of many of U-M's career offensive categories, including homers (second, 43), RBI (sixth, 170), total bases (sixth, 420), hits (seventh, 238) and doubles (ninth, 47).
ROUND 28
#846 Minnesota's Nate Hanson, Minnesota Twins
This past season, Hanson was named First-Team All-Big Ten at third base. It marked the second straight year he claimed first-team honors as a third baseman. Hanson batted .359 with 47 runs, six homers, 32 RBI and 22 doubles. He tied for first in the Big Ten in doubles, was tied for third with 118 total bases and was 10th in slugging percentage. Hanson's 22 doubles were also eighth on the Minnesota single-season list.
ROUND 31
#944 Michigan's Michael Powers, NY Mets
Powers ended the season as one of the most dominant pitchers in the nation. He saw action in five of U-M's final six games and earned the Big Ten Tournament Most Outstanding Player award following a three-save, nine-strikeout weekend that helped the Wolverines to the tournament title. The relief specialist, who toed the rubber in 28 of Michigan's 60 games, posted a record of 6-4 with eight saves and an ERA of 2.60 in 62.1 innings pitched.
ROUND 32
#963 Indiana's Tyler Tufts, Texas Rangers
Tufts tied for the team lead with his 13 starts in 2008. He posted a 6-5 record on the season with a 5.65 ERA, striking out 52 in his junior campaign. He had four complete games and was incredibly strong down the stretch, going 4-0 with a 3.99 ERA in his final five starts. His final start of the regular season saw him scatter nine hits over eight innings and the groundball specialist helped induce six double plays, the most on record by a Hoosier in a nine-inning game.
#973 Michigan State's Mark Sorenson, Detroit Tigers
Sorensen, a third-team All-Big Ten honoree, posted a 3-6 record with a 3.95 ERA this season. He worked 54.2 innings, holding opponents to a .254 batting average, and led the team with two complete games. Sorenson, the only starting pitcher in the Big Ten not to allow a home run this season, finished his MSU career 8-12 with a 5.25 ERA over 157.2 innings.
ROUND 35
#1047 Purdue's Dan Black, San Francisco Giants
Black, a sophomore, was picked by the San Francisco Giants in the 35th round. Black blasted a team-best 18 home runs in 2008, the second-most homers in a season in Purdue history. Black's 18 home runs tied him for 37th in the NCAA this season (as of June 2). A selection to the Big Ten All-Tournament team after setting a tournament record with five home runs in Purdue's four games in the postseason event, Black drove in 70 runs, ranking third all-time in Purdue history.
#1063 Ohio State's Dan DeLucia, Detroit Tigers
DeLucia, who returned from Tommy John surgery this past season, compiled a 3-3 record and a 4.70 ERA in 51.2 innings during the 2008 season. DeLucia's career numbers are most impressive: a 24-13 record and 3.91 ERA in 317.1 innings pitched. He started 52 times and limited opposing batters to a .263 batting average.
ROUND 39
#1178 Minnesota's Eric Decker, Milwaukee Brewers
ROUND 46
#1388 Michigan State's Eric Roof, Detroit Tigers
Eric Roof, who played two years at Michigan State after transferring from St. Catharine College, played catcher, third base and designated hitter this season. Roof batted .308 with three homers and 33 RBI. One of his home runs was a key grand slam against Iowa on April 26. He also had four RBI in each of this season's games against Western Michigan.
ROUND 47
#1416 Purdue's Matt Bischoff, New York Mets
Bischoff posted a 6-3 record in 14 starts with a 3.96 earned-run average. Bischoff ranked in the top 10 in the Big Ten, limiting opposing hitters to a .247 average, and struck out 55 batters in 77.1 innings. Bischoff is the first Boilermaker to be selected by the Mets since the draft's inception.
ROUND 48
#1450 Iowa's Kevin Hoef, Boston Red Sox
Hoef earned second-team laurels in the conference this season. Overall, he hit .357 with nine doubles, four triples, three home runs, 31 RBIs, 17 stolen bases and an Iowa single-season record, 20 hit-by-pitches, a total that ranked 12th in the country. As a junior, Hoef set the Iowa career hit-by-pitch record with 49.
Abraham had the best season of his career, hitting .352 while starting all 60 games at third base. The junior also set career marks with 82 hits, three triples, seven home runs, 54 runs batted in and 123 total bases, and he posted career numbers with a .528 slugging percentage and .415 on-base percentage. An All-Big Ten third-team selection, Abraham was named to all-tournament teams at the NCAA Ann Arbor Regional and Big Ten Conference Tournament.
ROUND 14
#417 Iowa's Caleb Curry, San Francisco Giants
Curry earned his second bid as an outfielder to the second all-league team. The senior boasted team highs in hitting (.396), home runs (7), RBI (65), stolen bases (45), slugging percentage (.584) and sacrifice flies (8). Curry became Iowa's single-season stolen base leader with 45.
ROUND 18
#546 Minnesota's Matt Nohelty, Minnesota Twins
Nohelty was named First-Team All-Big Ten. He became the first outfielder in the Big Ten since Sam Steidl (in 2003 & 04) to receive First-Team All-Big Ten honors in back-to-back seasons. Nohelty batted .397 with 53 runs, 94 hits, four triples, 39 RBI, 24 stolen bases and a .438 on-base percentage. He finished third in the Big Ten in batting average, second in hits, tied for eighth in runs, tied for fourth in stolen bases and tied for sixth in triples. His 94 hits were the most by a Golden Gopher since 1999, and his .397 batting average was the highest since 2001.
ROUND 19
#591 Michigan's Nate Recknagel, Cleveland Indians
Recknagel, the Big Ten Player of the Year, closed his career at Michigan with one of the most dominant offensive seasons in the 142-year history of the program. He finished the regular season tied for third in the nation with a single-season school record 23 home runs. Recknagel ends his career ranked in the top 10 of many of U-M's career offensive categories, including homers (second, 43), RBI (sixth, 170), total bases (sixth, 420), hits (seventh, 238) and doubles (ninth, 47).
ROUND 28
#846 Minnesota's Nate Hanson, Minnesota Twins
This past season, Hanson was named First-Team All-Big Ten at third base. It marked the second straight year he claimed first-team honors as a third baseman. Hanson batted .359 with 47 runs, six homers, 32 RBI and 22 doubles. He tied for first in the Big Ten in doubles, was tied for third with 118 total bases and was 10th in slugging percentage. Hanson's 22 doubles were also eighth on the Minnesota single-season list.
ROUND 31
#944 Michigan's Michael Powers, NY Mets
Powers ended the season as one of the most dominant pitchers in the nation. He saw action in five of U-M's final six games and earned the Big Ten Tournament Most Outstanding Player award following a three-save, nine-strikeout weekend that helped the Wolverines to the tournament title. The relief specialist, who toed the rubber in 28 of Michigan's 60 games, posted a record of 6-4 with eight saves and an ERA of 2.60 in 62.1 innings pitched.
ROUND 32
#963 Indiana's Tyler Tufts, Texas Rangers
Tufts tied for the team lead with his 13 starts in 2008. He posted a 6-5 record on the season with a 5.65 ERA, striking out 52 in his junior campaign. He had four complete games and was incredibly strong down the stretch, going 4-0 with a 3.99 ERA in his final five starts. His final start of the regular season saw him scatter nine hits over eight innings and the groundball specialist helped induce six double plays, the most on record by a Hoosier in a nine-inning game.
#973 Michigan State's Mark Sorenson, Detroit Tigers
Sorensen, a third-team All-Big Ten honoree, posted a 3-6 record with a 3.95 ERA this season. He worked 54.2 innings, holding opponents to a .254 batting average, and led the team with two complete games. Sorenson, the only starting pitcher in the Big Ten not to allow a home run this season, finished his MSU career 8-12 with a 5.25 ERA over 157.2 innings.
ROUND 35
#1047 Purdue's Dan Black, San Francisco Giants
Black, a sophomore, was picked by the San Francisco Giants in the 35th round. Black blasted a team-best 18 home runs in 2008, the second-most homers in a season in Purdue history. Black's 18 home runs tied him for 37th in the NCAA this season (as of June 2). A selection to the Big Ten All-Tournament team after setting a tournament record with five home runs in Purdue's four games in the postseason event, Black drove in 70 runs, ranking third all-time in Purdue history.
#1063 Ohio State's Dan DeLucia, Detroit Tigers
DeLucia, who returned from Tommy John surgery this past season, compiled a 3-3 record and a 4.70 ERA in 51.2 innings during the 2008 season. DeLucia's career numbers are most impressive: a 24-13 record and 3.91 ERA in 317.1 innings pitched. He started 52 times and limited opposing batters to a .263 batting average.
ROUND 39
#1178 Minnesota's Eric Decker, Milwaukee Brewers
ROUND 46
#1388 Michigan State's Eric Roof, Detroit Tigers
Eric Roof, who played two years at Michigan State after transferring from St. Catharine College, played catcher, third base and designated hitter this season. Roof batted .308 with three homers and 33 RBI. One of his home runs was a key grand slam against Iowa on April 26. He also had four RBI in each of this season's games against Western Michigan.
ROUND 47
#1416 Purdue's Matt Bischoff, New York Mets
Bischoff posted a 6-3 record in 14 starts with a 3.96 earned-run average. Bischoff ranked in the top 10 in the Big Ten, limiting opposing hitters to a .247 average, and struck out 55 batters in 77.1 innings. Bischoff is the first Boilermaker to be selected by the Mets since the draft's inception.
ROUND 48
#1450 Iowa's Kevin Hoef, Boston Red Sox
Hoef earned second-team laurels in the conference this season. Overall, he hit .357 with nine doubles, four triples, three home runs, 31 RBIs, 17 stolen bases and an Iowa single-season record, 20 hit-by-pitches, a total that ranked 12th in the country. As a junior, Hoef set the Iowa career hit-by-pitch record with 49.
