FL River City Rascals

Graves Selected by Giants in 2009 MLB Draft

Published on June 11, 2009 under Frontier League (FL)
River City Rascals News Release


O'FALLON, MO - The River City Rascals, presented by Progress West Healthcare Center, are pleased to announce that left-handed pitcher, Brandon Graves, was selected in the Major League Baseball First Year Player Draft today by the San Francisco Giants in the 35th Round. Graves was the 1047th overall pick in the draft.

Graves was released this afternoon by the Rascals and will report to the Giants rookie team, the Arizona Giants, in Scottsdale, Arizona. The southpaw signed with River City on May 31st after finishing his collegiate career at NCAA Division II, Valdosta State.

"Brandon has terrific makeup and character with a good variety of pitches," said Rascals manager Chad Parker. "Those qualities will make him a good professional pitcher at the next level. We would love to have him here in River City, but our goal is to get players moved on to affiliated baseball."

Graves was 1-0 with a 1.29 ERA in three appearances for the Rascals, including one start. The Crawfordville, Florida native earned his first professional win with five great shutout innings in a win at Florence. The left-hander allowed only two hits and struck out four in a 2-0 victory against the Freedom on June 3rd.

The 22 year old recently completed his collegiate career at Valdosta State University in Valdosta, Georgia. Graves was 11-2 with a 3.04 ERA in 25 appearances (seven starts) for the Blazers. The lefty finished with seven saves in 80 innings pitched with 85 strikeouts to only 28 walk and was named to the 2009 All-Gulf South Conference First Team.

Graves was with NCAA Division I, Appalachian State, in 2007 and appeared in 30 games that season. He finished with a 1-1 mark and a 6.80 ERA with 25 strikeouts in 45 innings.

"As an organization, we are extremely excited for Brandon on his recent selection by the San Francisco Giants in the draft," commented Rascals Executive Vice President and General Manager Chris Franklin. "While his time was short in River City, we enjoyed having Brandon as a member of the organization and wish him continued success at the affiliated level. It is our goal to help each and every player on our roster to get to the next level."

Graves began his collegiate career at Tallahassee Community College, where he compiled a 10-5 record with 80 strikeouts and 18 walks in two seasons. He was named second team All-Panhandle Conference in 2006.

The River City Rascals are an independent professional baseball team, members of the Frontier League. The Rascals are currently in their 11th season and invite everyone to "Join the Fan-Mily" in 2009. Season tickets and group packages are currently on sale now and available by calling (636) 240 - 2287 or by logging on to www.rivercityrascals.com.

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