PL Missoula PaddleHeads

Arizona Selects Eight Right-Handed Pitchers to Start Day Three

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


MISSOULA, MONT - With their first 10 selections on the third day of the 2018 Major League Baseball Amateur Draft, the Arizona Diamondbacks selected eight collegiate right-handed pitchers, one college infielder, and one high school infielder.

Listed below are picks from rounds 11-20 the Diamondbacks have made in the 2018 Major League Baseball Amateur Draft:

Blaze Alexander | 11th Rd (339th overall) | INF | IMG Academy (FL) | R/R | 6-0 | 180

With their first pick on day three of the MLB Draft, the Diamondbacks selected Blaze Alexander, the strong- armed infielder from IMG (FL) Academy. The 18-year-old has strong bloodlines in baseball, as his father played in the Minor Leagues with the Cleveland Indians. According to MLB.com, he ranks as the No. 118 prospect in the draft, and has a strong arm with good hands and range. MLB.com Jim Callis rates Alexander's arm as the strongest in this year's draft class. He has committed to play collegiately at South Carolina.

Justin Lewis | 12th Rd (369th overall) | RHP | Kentucky | R/R | 6-2 | 200

After completing his redshirt junior season at Kentucky, Justin Lewis brings a bevy of experience to the Diamondbacks organization. This spring, Lewis tossed to a 7-3 record with a 4.33 ERA in 12 starts. Logging 72.2 innings, the right-hander struck out 92 batters while walking 27 and opponents batting .232. In 2017, he finished with a 3.56 ERA, and a 2.08 ERA as a freshman in 2016. He has been a starter the past two years, and has compiled a career record of 15-7 with an ERA of 3.62. D1 Baseball ranked Lewis as the No. 59 prospect, while Baseball America slotted him as the No. 95 prospect in the 2018 draft class. The San Diego Padres drafted him in the 19th round straight out of high school in 2014. He is a cousin of San Francisco 49ers cornerback Richard Sherman.

L.T. Tolbert | 13th Rd (399th overall) | INF | South Carolina | R/R | 6-2 | 200

In his junior season, L.T. Tolbert posted a .322 batting average with six home runs and drove in a team-high 51 runs. D1Baseball rated the Piedmont, South Carolina native the No. 35 prospect in the SEC, and earned Freshman All-SEC honors in 2016 after a stellar start to his career. Coming out of high school, Tolbert was drafted in the 34th round by the New York Mets in the 2015 draft. This spring, Tolbert started all 60 games, just one of two players on the roster to do so.

Josh Green | 14th (429th overall) | RHP | Southeastern Louisiana University | R/R | 6-3 | 212

Recently finishing his collegiate career at Southeastern Louisiana University, Josh Green went 6-6 with a 3.14 ERA in his senior season. The right-hander started 15 games and logged a team-high 91.2 innings. Walking just 16 batters, Green struck out 59 batters on his way to earning 2018 All-Southland Conference Honorable Mention. As a junior, the Baton Rouge, Louisiana native tossed in a team-high 25 games out of the bullpen, earning three saves and a 5-0 record to go along with a 4.14 ERA. In his sophomore season, Green was dominant out of the bullpen, working a 2.04 ERA in 35.1 innings. Green finished his collegiate career with an 11-6 record and a 3.15 ERA in 151.2 innings. He struck out 103 batters while issuing 35 free passes.

Zack Shannon | 15th (459th overall) | RHP/INF | Delta State | R/R | 6-4 | 205

Finishing his career as one of the most prolific players ever at Delta State, the Diamondbacks select Zack Shannon, who played first base and pitched in his career. A Golden Spikes Award Semifinalist this year, Shannon clubbed a Delta State record 31 home runs and drove home a school record 93 runs. He totaled 193 bases on the season, ranking second in team history for a single season. At one point, Shannon clubbed a home run in eight straight games. In his two-year Delta State career, he finished with a .420 batting average, 26 doubles, 50 home runs, 181 RBI, and 359 total bases. Playing his first two years at Wabash Valley Community College in Mount Carmel, Illinois, Shannon established himself as an offensive powerhouse with seven home runs and a .392 average before transferring to Delta State. Shannon finished 2018 and 2017 as the NCBWA and D2CCA National Player of the Year. He also was named ABCA, NCBWA, and D2CCA All- American 1st -team this past spring. He is listed as a right-handed pitcher and first baseman.

Ethan Larrison | 16th (489th overall) | RHP | Indiana State | R/R | 6-2 | 195

The senior from Shelbyville, Indiana ended his Sycamore career with a senior year that consisted of a 3-6 record and a 3.76 ERA. In 55 innings out of the bullpen, Larrison struck out 50 batters while walking 23 on his way to earning nine saves on the season. In his career, Larrison finished with an 11-13 record with a 4.12 ERA in 179 innings. Starting his career as a starter and reliever combo, he exclusively went to the bullpen during his sophomore year, and his ERA never went above 3.97 for the rest of his collegiate career.

Justin Garcia | 17th (519th overall) | RHP | University of Arkansas Little Rock | R/R | 6-0 | 180

After two seasons of collegiate baseball at Richmond and McLennan Community College, respectfully, Justin Garcia transferred to the University of Arkansas Little Rock for his final two seasons. As a junior in his first season with the Trojans, Garcia went 2-1 with a 3.02 ERA in 33 appearances, all out of the bullpen to set a new team record for most appearances in a single season. Opponents hit .163 off the right-hander. This spring, Garcia continued to throw out of the bullpen, breaking his own record for appearances in a season with 36. Owning a 4-5 record and a 3.38 ERA, Garcia earned 10 saves in 58.2 innings pitched. Garcia completed his two-year career with the Trojans with 100 innings and a 3.23 ERA.

Kyler Stout | 18th (549th overall) | RHP | Oral Roberts | R/R | 6-0 | 195

A right-handed pitcher from Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, the Diamondbacks selected the Oral Roberts all-time saves record holder, Kyler Stout. As a redshirt senior, Stout notched 14 saves after saving 14 games in his first three years combined. As a freshman, the righty made 22 appearances out of the bullpen, the second-most by a freshman in program history. In his junior season, Stout was named to the All-Summit League Second Team after recording a league-best 11 saves, ranking fifth all-time in program history. He finished the year with a 2-3 record and a 1.62 ERA in 33.1 innings. To wrap up his career, Stout finished with 14 saves, the second most in a single season in team history and 12th most in the country. In 25 appearances this spring, Stout went 2-2 with a 2.60 ERA and 47 strikeouts in 27.2 innings.

Andrew Toelken | 19th (579th overall) | RHP | The University of Missouri | R/R | 6-2 | 188

A senior from the University of Missouri, Andrew Toelken finished his two-year career with Missouri as an 11-6 pitcher with a 3.24 ERA in two seasons. The right-hander appeared in 21 games, starting five in 57.1 innings. Working 48 strikeouts as a senior, Toelken finished his Missouri career with 100 strikeouts and 43 walks. Before attending Missouri, Toelken pitched at St. John's for two seasons. He was named as one of the nation's best impact junior college transfers by PerfectGame, and finished his career with an 18-2 record and a 2.00 ERA. His 18 wins set a new school record for most in a career.

Erin Baldwin | 20th (609th overall) | RHP | Samford | L/L | 6-5 | 195

Used as a starter and reliever during his collegiate career, Samford's Erin Baldwin completed his senior season by throwing to a 2-1 record and a 2.72 ERA. Baldwin appeared in 25 games while starting seven, tossing 56.1 innings. The right-hander struck out 48 batters with a meager eight walks. Before his two-year career at Samford, he spent the 2015 and 2016 seasons at LSU Eunice, ranking as one of the top starting pitchers among junior college teams. He led the No. 1 ranked JC team in the nation with a 2.63 ERA and finished 8-0. Baldwin struck out 44 batters in 51 innings, helping lead the team to a national title during his two- year career.

Coverage of the 2018 MLB Draft continues today on MLB.com for Rounds 21-40. MLB.com is currently streaming all of the picks.

MLB.com's full coverage includes Draft Central, the Top 200 Draft Prospects list, and Draft Tracker, a live interactive application that includes a searchable database of over 1,500 draft-eligible players. Every selection will be tweeted live from @MLBDraftTracker, and fans can also follow @MLBDraft to stay in tune with picks. For all picks made by the Diamondbacks, follow @Dbacks on twitter, and also @OspreyBaseball for full announcements of the selections.

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