Nationals Select Missouri State Left-handed Pitcher Ross Detwiler Sixth Overall
Published on June 7, 2007 under International League (IL1)
Columbus Clippers News Release
The Washington Nationals today selected left-handed pitcher Ross Detwiler out of Missouri State University as the sixth overall pick in the 2007 First-Year Player Draft. Nationals Vice President/General Manager Jim Bowden, Assistant General Manager/Vice President of Baseball Operations Mike Rizzo, Director of Scouting Dana Brown, Assistant General Manager/Vice President of Player Development Bob Boone and Special Assistant to the General Manager/National Crosschecker Chuck LaMar made the joint announcement.
Detwiler, 21, was rated as the third-best pitching prospect, sixth-best overall, among draft-eligible players according to Baseball America. He entered the 2007 season as a Baseball America Pre-Season All-American and a Collegiate Baseball Louisville Slugger Second-Team Pre-Season All-American. The southpaw went on to post a 4-5 record with a team-best 2.22 ERA in 14 starts to earn Second-Team All-Missouri Valley Conference honors. He had 110 strikeouts in 89.0 innings of work, and limited opposing hitters to a .198 batting average. He finished third in the MVC with his 2.22 ERA and 110 strikeouts.
The six-foot-five 185-pound southpaw struck out 244 batters in 216.0 innings during his three years at Missouri State, an average of 10.2 strikeouts per 9.0 innings pitched.
As a sophomore in 2006, Detwiler earned All-Missouri Valley Conference Honorable Mention accolades after going 7-4 with a 2.81 ERA in 14 starts. He had 99 strikeouts in 93.0 innings of work, both team highs. Detwiler later earned All-MVC Tournament Team honors.
Following the 2006 campaign, Detwiler pitched for Falmouth of the Cape Cod League. He started two games, and allowed just two runs with 14 strikeouts in 10.1 innings. Detwiler also pitched for Team USA that summer, appearing in five games (two starts) and going 2-0 with a 1.00 ERA to help the club win the International University Sports Federation (FISU) tournament title in Havana, Cuba. He had 20 strikeouts in 18.0 innings of work for Team USA.
Detwiler was born and raised in St. Louis. He graduated from Wentzville High School, where he earned Gateway Athletic Conference Player of the Year honors as a senior in 2004.
Detwiler joins third baseman Ryan Zimmerman, outfielder Chris Marrero and right-handed pitcher Colton Willems as Washington's first-round selections since baseball returned to the nation's capital in 2005.
The 22 year-old Zimmerman (fourth overall selection in the 2005 First-Year Player Draft out of the University of Virginia) finished a close second in 2006 NL Rookie of the Year balloting after hitting .287 with 47 doubles, 20 home runs and a franchise rookie-record 110 RBI. In addition to Gold Glove caliber defense, Zimmerman became just the third NL rookie in 53 seasons to eclipse the 100-RBI plateau, joining Mike Piazza (112 in 1993) and Albert Pujols (130 in 2001) on the short list.
In his first complete minor-league campaign, Marrero (15th overall selection in the 2006 First-Year Player Draft out of Monsignor Pace High in FL) is currently batting .304 (62-for-204) with 13 doubles, 13 home runs and 52 RBI in 53 games with Hagerstown of the Single-A South Atlantic League. Willems (22nd overall selection in the 2006 First-Year Player Draft out of John Carroll High in FL) is currently pitching in the Nationals' extended Spring Training program and is slated to join Vermont of the short-season Single-A New York-Penn League later this month.
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