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Several Indiana natives are awaiting the call today that will possibly begin their pro careers.
It has been a busy afternoon for Indiana players int he Major League Baseball Draft. Six player players with ties to the Hoosier state have been selected after solid seasons in the college ranks.
Ryan Wright, an infielder from Ft. Wayne that has spent the last few seasons playing at Louisville was selected 175th overall by the Cincinnati Reds. He led the Cardinals this year with a .346 average, 12 home runs, and 52 RBIs.
Kyle Gaedele, a right fielder for the Valparaiso Crusaders, was selected 203rd overall by the San Diego Padres. He becomes the highest drafted player ever out of Valparaiso after batting .326 during his three year career.
Trent Howard, a left-handed pitcher who played a Central Michigan but hails from Hammond was selected 215th overall by the Baltimore Orioles. He notched a 2.78 ERA as CMU’s primary starter this past season.
Notre Dame’s Brian Dopra was selected two picks after Howard by the Washington Nationals. The right-handed pitcher was 3-7 this past year for the Fighting Irish, but lead them in innings pitched as a consistent starter.
Former Norwell High School Standout Scott Woodward helped Coastal Carolina reach this year’s NCAA tournament and was picked 224th overall by the Los Angeles Dodgers. The third baseman had a .342 average this past season as the Chanticleers reached Clemson regional before falling to Connecticut.
Crawfordsville’s Cameron Hobson was selected 333rd overall by the Seattle Mariners after a a solid season on the mound for the university of Dayton. he led Crawfordsville to the Class 3A State Championship in high school.
As an outfielder for the Indiana Hoosiers Alex Dickerson has gotten quite used to hitting int he Hoosier state. The California native batted .367 this season with nine homers and 49 RBIs as Indiana had a successful season that included a win over regional winner Connecticut. Dickerson will likely get a chance to return to Indiana in the future, as the Pittsburgh Pirates selected him 91st overall int he 2011 Major League Baseball Draft.
Pittsburgh's top farm affiliate is the local Indianapolis Indians, meaning that Dickerson's return to the heartland may not take long. Dickerson's 2010 season was one of hte best in Big Ten history as he won the conference's triple crown with a .419 average, 24 home runs, and 75 RBIs.That was good enough to be named a First Team All-American by Collegiate Baseball Newspaper, the National College Baseball Writers Association and the American Baseball Coaches Association. He also picked up District V Player of the Year honors from the NCBWA and was a unanimous selection as Big Ten Player of the Year
Dickerson is also the first Big Ten player selected in this year's Draft.
The 2011 Major League Baseball Draft is underway and so far one Indiana native has been selected. Alex Meyer, a Right-handed pitcher from Greensburg, was drafted 23rd overall yesterday in the first round by the Washington Nationals. Meyer was a top prospect in high school, rated #5 nationally, but he turned down a 20th round selection by the Red Sox in 2008 after being named Gatorade Indiana Player of the Year and Louisville Slugger Indiana Player of the Year.
His career at Kentucky was solid. After going 1-4 with a 5.73 ERA as a freshman he improved to 5-3 in 2010. This past season he led the SEC, one of hte toughest conferences in college baseball, in strikeouts, complete games, and complete game shutouts. he had an impeccable 1.88 ERA in SEC play for the Wildcats.
The Louisville Courier-Journal had the following to say about Meyer:
Meyer is UK's highest draft
pick since outfielder Chad Green went eighth in the 1996 draft. He also becomes the Wildcats' fourth first-round pick, joining Green, James Paxton (2009, No. 37) and Joe Blanton (2002, No. 24).Earlier Monday, the Nationals drafted Rice junior third baseman Anthony Rendon sixth overall.
Meyer hopes to develop in a Nationals farm system that has stockpiled prospects in recent years.
"I don't think it could have happened to a better organization," said Meyer, a 6-foot-9, 220-pound right-hander. "Obviously you can see them on the rise with the prospects they have been selecting over the last few years with Stephen Strasburg and Bryce Harper, and obviously this year they selected Anthony Rendon with their first pick."
2011 MLB Draft: 11 Additional Indiana Players Drafted On Day 2
Day 2 of the 2011 MLB Draft was very successful for several players around the state, as the first high schoolers were drafted. They now have the difficult decision of continuing their careers at the college level or taking a chance in the professional ranks.
The first such player is Lawrence Central's Christian Montgomery, who was selected 342nd overall as pitcher by the New York Mets. His teammate Jared Ruxer was the final Indiana selection on day 2, as he went 878th overall to the Cleveland Indians also as a right-handed pitcher.
Additional high school players selected were left-handed pitcher Dillon Peters of Cathedral, who is in the Final Four of the Class 4A State Tournament. he went 608th overall to Cleveland. Zionsville Robert Kuhn went 736th overall as a shortstop to the Oakland A's. Terre Haute South left-handed pitcher Andrew Reed went 762nd overall to the Mets. Reed and Peters will face off in this weekend's baseball Semi-state in class 4A.
A handful of Indiana collegiate players were also selected on day 2, with Ball State's Cody Elliot going 638th overall to Cleveland. The centerfielder just finished a solid junior season, but may elect to return for his senior year. The Indiana State Sycamores saw right-hander Blake Drake go 681st to the Chicago White Sox and right-hander Colin Rea go 383rd to the San Diego Padres. Staying within that conference, the Evansville Purple Aces sent right-hander Cody Fick to the Philadelphia Phillies. Indiana left-handed pitcher Blake Monar was the second Hoosiers player selected when he went 367th overall tot he Washington nationals.
Jun 08 8:48a by Travis Miller