PL Missoula PaddleHeads

Position Players Selected Heavily with Last 10 Arizona Picks

Published on June 6, 2018 under Pioneer League (PL)
Missoula PaddleHeads News Release


MISSOULA, MONT - Taking a different approach in the last 10 rounds than the first 30 of the 2018 Major League Baseball Amateur Draft, the Arizona Diamondbacks selected nine position players with their last 10 selections. In total, 32 of the 41 players taken by the organization come from the college ranks.

Listed below are the selections from rounds 31-40 the Diamondbacks made in the 2018 Major League Baseball Amateur Draft:

Daniel Wasinger | 31st Rd (939th overall) | C | Southeastern Louisiana | R/R | 6-3 | 225

As the second catcher drafted by Arizona in the 2018 MLB Draft, Daniel Wasinger from Southeastern Louisiana joins Nick Dalesandro. Wasinger batted .266 as a senior, driving four home runs and 23 runs batted in. He started 39 games as a senior after starting 36 as a junior the year before in his first season at Southeastern Louisiana. He spent his first two seasons at Heartland Community College, where he hit .343 as a sophomore with six home runs and 41 runs batted in. During his freshman season, he clubbed two home runs and hit .309 with 43 RBI. He was previously drafted in the 38th round of the 2015 MLB Draft by the Chicago Cubs. His father, Mark, was a third round selection of the San Diego Padres in the 1982 draft.

Austin Bergner | 32nd Rd (969th overall) | RHP | North Carolina | R/R | 6-4 | 200

After just two seasons of pitching for North Carolina, Austin Bergner compiled an 11-4 record with a 3.79 ERA in his career. Over the two years, Bergner pitched 123.1 innings, and started 15 of the 42 games he appeared in. With 121 strikeouts and 57 walks, the right-hander limited opponents to a .231 average. This spring, he pitched to a 7-2 record with a 4.30 ERA in 15 appearances, 12 of which were starts. In 75.1 innings, Bergner struck out 76 batters. In between his freshman and sophomore year's, Bergner pitched with the Chatham Anglers of the Cape Code League. Bergner was ranked No. 190 on MLB Pipelines top 200 Prospects list.

Jeremy Ydens | 33rd Rd (999th overall) | OF | UCLA | R/R | 6-2 | 193

In a breakout sophomore year at UCLA, Jeremy Ydens hit .350 this spring, smacking six home runs and driving home 38. The outfielder scored 50 runs in 53 games, and had 17 doubles along with five triples. With an on-base percentage at .421, Ydens drew 20 walks. The Campbell, California native had 23 multi-hit games and seven of those games were three-hit performances. Ydens was previously drafted in the 40th round of the 2016 MLB Draft by the St. Louis Cardinals.

Wacy Crenshaw | 34th Rd (1,029th overall) | OF | Glendale Community College | L/R | 6-1 | 175

As a sophomore this spring, Wacy Crenshaw batted .252 with five home runs and 26 runs batted in. In 49 games, he scored 21 runs and stole four bases. He had nine games where he recorded two or more hits. He had seven multi-RBI games in the spring.

Alex King | 35th Rd (1,059th overall) | SS | St. Louis | R/R | 6-2 | 200

Leading the St. Louis offense in home runs with 15 and runs batted in with 53 this spring, Alex King is the Diamondbacks 35th round selection. King had started all but four games in his collegiate career, making an impact from the first season with the Bilikens. King drew 35 walks to boost his on-base percentage to .394, and he finished his senior season with a .288 batting average. In his final two seasons, he blasted 23 home runs and drove in 86 runs. In his four seasons with St. Louis, King hit .288 or above in three of his four seasons, hitting a career-best .294 in 2017.

Joe Gillette | 36th Rd (1,089th overall) | OF/INF | Menlo College | R/R | 6-3 | 200

Providing a powerful swing in his two seasons at Menlo College, Joe Gillette smacked a total of 25 home runs. The past two springs, Gillette has hit .290 with back-to-back seasons of at least 10 home runs. Last season, he blasted 15 home runs and drove in 49 runs. Before attending Menlo College, the junior played at Oregon State for one season, hitting .283 in 23 games started. Before attending college, Gillette was drafted in the 23rd round of the 2014 MLB Draft by the St. Luis Cardinals. The Scotts Valley, California native started all 98 games in his Menlo College career, producing a career on-base percentage of .422.

Zack Plunkett | 37th Rd (1,119th overall) | C | University Arkansas Fayetteville | R/R | 6-2 | 225

After spending the first two seasons of his collegiate career at TCU, Zack Plunkett transferred to Arkansas in 2017. Having to sit out due to transfer rules last season, he became one of the team's backup catchers this past spring, playing in seven games. He appeared in 39 games over two years for TCU before his transfer. A graduate of L.D. Bell High School, he was named district defensive MVP as a senior. He was recognized as one of the top 500 high school players in the country by Perfect Game.

David Garza | 38th Rd (1,149th overall) | SS | Tennessee Tech | R/R | 6-1 | 200

As a senior infielder at Tennessee Tech, David Garza blasted 16 home runs and drove in 69 on his way to a .310 batting average. Garza helped lead Tennessee Tech to the most wins in the country (48) during the regular season, and started all 62 games. In his three-year Division I career, the Othello, Washington native slugged 23 home runs and brought in 134 runs. Garza batted at least .293 each season, and had a career-high .403 on-base percentage this spring due in large part to the 36 walks drawn. He posses sneaky speed as well, legging out 20 stolen bases on 25 career attempts. As a freshman at Edmonds Community College, Garza hit .302 with six home runs and 22 RBI. Garza was selected as a member of the 2017 All-OVC First Team and was on the Brooks Wallace Award Watch List, which honors the nation's top shortstop.

Tyler Acosta | 39th Rd (1,179th overall) | CF | Barrington High School | R/R | 6-1 | 175

Just a 17-year-old outfielder from Barrington, Illinois, Tyler Acosta has very quick hands while keeping his swing short and direct, according to Perfect Game. Acosta was named a 2018 Rawlings-Perfect Game Honorable Mention All-American, and was tabbed as a 2017 Underclass High Honorable Mention. He has committed to play collegiately at the State College of Florida.

Garrison Burress | 40th Rd (1,209th overall) | SS | Catawba Valley Community College | R/R | 6-1 | 165

After just one season at the community college level, Garrison Burress is the final selection for the Diamondbacks in the 2018 MLB Draft. This spring, Burress batted to the tune of a .346 batting average with seven home runs and 45 RBI. The freshman scored 50 runs in 53 games while stealing 13 bases. The Granite Falls, North Carolina native accumulated 19 multi-hit games along with 13 games of two or more runs batted in.

Looking to rise back to the top of the Pioneer League, the Missoula Osprey open the 2018 season in Billings, Montana June 15th at 7:05 p.m. The O's home opener is slated for June 19th vs. Helena at 7:05 p.m. Individual game tickets for all 38 Missoula Osprey regular-season home games are on sale now at the MSO Hub, online at MissoulaOsprey.com, and by calling 406-543-3300. Group, season, and other packaged tickets, including the flexible Any Game, Any Time Plan, are also on sale.

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