PL Missoula PaddleHeads

Collegiate Pitchers Dominate Draft for Arizona in Middle Rounds

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


MISSOULA, MONT - With the final day of the 2018 Major League Baseball Amateur Draft in full swing, the Arizona Diamondbacks selected six more collegiate pitchers in rounds 21-30, continuing the trend in this year's draft. Of the 31 picks made by the Diamondbacks, 19 have been collegiate pitchers. 24 of the 31 players have been from the college ranks, with seven coming from high school.

Listed below are picks from rounds 21-30 the Diamondbacks have made in the 2018 Major League Baseball Amateur Draft:

Jacob Stevens | 21st Rd (639th overall) | RHP | Boston College | R/R | 6-3 | 225

The ninth collegiate arm selected by the Diamondbacks on day three of the 2018 MLB Draft, Jacob Stevens ended his junior season at Boston College with a 4.84 ERA in 13 games started. The right-hander went 3-7, and tossed 70.2 innings on the season. In his three-year career with the Eagles, Stevens struck out 213 batters in 228 innings. With a 12-18 record and a 4.18 career ERA, Stevens started 43 of 44 games he appeared in. As a freshman in 2016, Stevens earned Freshman All-American Second-Team honors from D1Baseball and baseball America. He was the first Boston College player to earn such honors since 2002. He was also tabbed to the Atlantic Coast Conference All-Freshman Team.

Blake Workman | 22nd Rd (669th overall) | RHP | Cal State Fullerton | R/R | 6-3 | 195

As a right-handed reliever in his junior season, Blake Workman pitched to a 4-4 record and a 3.02 ERA in 29 appearances with Cal State Fullerton. Workman struck out 67 batters in 56.2 innings, earning five saves during the 2018 season. In 2017 as a sophomore, the righty went 6-3 with a 2.89 ERA in 62.1 innings, establishing himself as one of the premiere relievers on the team. In his three-year collegiate career, Workman tossed to a 3.21 ERA and owned an 11-7 record with six saves. In 123.1 innings, Workman struck out 124 batters in his career.

Mario Leon | 23th Rd (699th overall) | RHP | Florida Gulf Coast | R/R | 6-2 | 200

A redshirt senior this spring, Mario Leon started 14 games for Florida Gulf Coast and went 5-6 with a 3.05 ERA. The Diamondbacks selected him as a reliever, a position he is used to after appearing in 65 total games in his four-year career, starting in 38 games. In his final season, Leon tossed a career-high 82.2 innings, striking out 83 batters. In his four-year career, Leon amassed 225 strikeouts in 242.2 innings, owning a 15-14 record and a 4.23 ERA. This spring, he tossed nine games of at least six innings, while three games he went at least seven innings. Missoula Osprey Professional Baseball Club 140 N. Higgins Ave.

Bryan Menendez | 24th (729th overall) | RHP | UNLV | R/R | 6-3 | 212

Right-handed pitcher Bryan Menendez recently completed his college career at UNLV, posting his best season of his career. With a 3-2 record and a 2.41 ERA, Menendez was one of the top arms selected out of the Rebels bullpen all season. With 25 appearances, the righty earned 12 saves as the team's closer, pitching 41 innings and striking out 36 batters. Hitters swung at a mark of .207 against Menendez, and the closer allowed just seven extra base hits all season.

Landon Whitson | 25th (759th overall) | RHP | Lenoir-Rhyne | R/R | 6-2 | 240

Listed as a starter by the Diamondbacks coming out of college, Landon Whitson dominated out of the bullpen as a closer for Lenoir-Rhyne in his senior season. With an ERA of 2.01 and a 3-1 record, Whitson broke the programs record for most saves in a season with nine. In 23 appearances, the right-hander pitched 31.1 innings and struck out 42 batters while walking just eight all season. Opponents had a hard time seeing the ball vs. Whitson, hitting .208 against him as a senior this spring. To complete his career, he finished with a 4.65 ERA and a 9-9 record in 50 appearances. Whitson started 12 games, with eight of those coming as a sophomore in 2016.

Ethan Small | 26th (789th overall) | LHP | Mississippi State | R/R | 6-3 | 208

After missing 2017 with an injury, Ethan Small bounced back in a major way with a strong redshirt sophomore season at Mississippi State. The left-hander went 5-3 with a 2.94 ERA in 15 games started. In 85.2 innings, Small struck out 107 batters while walking 31. In 10 of his 15 starts, Small went at least six innings, while tossing seven or more innings twice. D1 Baseball ranked him as the No. 40 SEC prospect entering the 2018 draft.

Christian Jayne | 27th (819th overall) | CF | Terry Sanford High School | R/R | 6-4 | 184

At just 18-years-old, Christian Jayne from Terry Sanford High School becomes the fourth high school player drafted by the Diamondbacks in the 2018 MLB Draft. Jayne was named a 2018 Rawlings-Perfect Game Honorable Mention All-American in the Atlanta Region. He was named a Perfect Game All-American Honorable Mention in both 2016 and 2017. Jayne is from Hope Mill, North Carolina, and has committed to play collegiate baseball with the East Carolina Pirates.

Marshawn Taylor | 28th (849th overall) | SS | Grambling State University | R/L | 5-10 | 150

Leading the team in batting during his senior season at Grambling State, Marshawn Taylor is the Diamondbacks 28th round selection in the 2018 MLB Draft. Taylor hit a team-best .402 with 44 runs batted in. the senior also scored the most runs on the team with 50, and notched a team-best 86 hits. He was a singles machine, as 79 of his hits were of that variety. He had four doubles and three triples, and recorded an on-base percentage of .469. He walked 25 times, while striking out just 13 times in 214 at-bats. He notched an astounding 13 games with three or more hits, recording four or more hits in four games. In 2017 as a junior, the Chicago, Illinois native hit .380 with 21 runs batted in and 32 runs scored.

Luke Bartnicki | 29th (879th overall) | LHP | Walton High School | L/L | 6-3 | 210

Drafted out of Walton High School, Luke Bartnicki is a left-handed starter who was named a 2018 Rawlings- Perfect Game 1st Team All-American in the Southeast region. He was named a 2016 Underclass High Honorable mention, and a 2017 Underclass First-Team member. According to Perfect Game, the lefty has a fastball that tops out at 94 mph, and finds the strike zone consistently. Bartnicki has committed to pitch at Georgia Tech University.

Devin Warner | 30th (909th overall) | 3B | Cartersville High School | S/R | 6-2 | 205

From Cartersville High School in Georgia, Devin Warner is the 30th round selection for the Diamondbacks. Named a 2018 Rawlings-Perfect Game Third-Team All-American in the Southeast Region, Warner is just 18- years-old. Warner was named a 2016 Underclass High Honorable Mention while garnering 2017 Underclass First-Team member. According to Perfect Game, Warner is light on his feet with lots of lower half agility for his size, and has a quick release. He has an uphill swing plate, and has lots of raw bat speed. He has committed to Auburn University.

Coverage of the 2018 MLB Draft continues today on MLB.com for Rounds 31-40. 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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