Five Marlins Alumni Selected in 2012 MLB Draft
June 7, 2012 - Coastal Plain League (Coastal Plain)
Morehead City Marlins News Release
MOREHEAD CITY, N.C. - The Morehead City Marlins are pleased to announce five of their former players were selected in the 2012 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft. Chris Taylor, Joe Sclafani, Ben Klimesh, Sam Kimmel and Corey Thompson were all selected by major league organizations.
Chris Taylor was selected by the Seattle Mariners in the fifth round, going as the 161st player selected overall. The shortstop out of the University of Virginia spent the summer of 2010 in Morehead City, where he hit .250 and stole nine bases for the Marlins in 25 games. This past spring in his junior season for the Cavaliers, he hit .284 with five home runs. The fifth round selection is the highest any Marlins player has ever been selected.
The next Marlins player selected was Joe Sclafani who played on the Crystal Coast in both 2010 and 2011. In Sclafani's first go-round with the Marlins, the 14th round pick (429th overall) of the Houston Astros hit .305 with two home runs in 42 games. Then in 2011, the infielder was even better hitting .375 with five home runs and 32 RBIs while starting 43 games. At Dartmouth College he was one of only 22 players in history to be named All-Ivy League First team three times.
Selected in the 15th round (472nd overall) by the Cincinnati Reds was former Marlin Ben Klimesh out of Trinity University. The right-handed pitcher spent 2010 in Morehead City when he was 1-0 in 11 appearances and allowed only 23 hits in 28 1/3 innings of work. This spring, his senior season for the Tigers, he went 13-3 with a 1.71 ERA and nine complete games.
The fourth former Marlins player selected was Sam Kimmel, who was drafted by the Baltimore Orioles with the 552nd pick overall in the 18th round. In 2011 with Morehead City, the catcher hit .258 with 14 RBIs in 26 games. The product of Stetson University hit .357 this spring in his junior year en route to being named to the Atlantic Sun All-Conference Second team.
The final Marlin chosen was Corey Thompson who was picked up by the Chicago White Sox in as the 951st overall pick in the 31st round. Thompson played with the Marlins the summer of 2011 when he hit .270 with 15 RBIs in 35 games. This spring in his senior season at East Carolina University the infielder hit .315 and was tied for the team lead with 40 RBIs.
Over the past three years, the Marlins have had 14 players selected in the Major League Draft. The Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft began on June 4 and concluded on June 6 and consists of 40 rounds and selects international players and players from high schools and colleges across the country. The Marlins wish our drafted players and all our former players the best of luck.
The Morehead City Marlins are a proud member of the Coastal Plain League, the nation's hottest summer collegiate baseball league. Celebrating its 16th season in 2012, the CPL features 14 teams playing in North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia. The CPL gives college players the chance to refine their skills with the use of wooden bats. Players are housed with local host families for the summer and past experiences have been very positive for both players and hosts. Furthermore, the CPL has had over 930 alumni drafted and 51 alums make their Major League debut thus far. For more information on the Coastal Plain League, please visit the league website at http://www.coastalplain.com, and be sure to friend us on Facebook (at http://www.facebook.com/coastalplainleague) and follow us via Twitter (at cpleague). For Marlins ticket and team information, please visit www.mhcmarlins.com.
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