After 30 rounds in the books of the 2011 Major League Baseball
Draft, nine players were selected from the top-ranked team in the
country.
No.
1 Florida had six pitchers and three position players chosen
Tuesday, as well as five signees slated to be on campus for the
2012 season.
The
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim selected left-handed reliever Nick
Maronde with the No. 104 pick (3rd round). The junior set-up man
was expected to be the first UF player taken of the board after
overpowering hitters all season.
At
6-foot-3 with a fastball reaching the mid-90s, Maronde was coveted
for his velocity and natural sinking fastball. The southpaw leads
the Gators in appearances this season (31), racking up 50
strikeouts in only 38 innings of work and posting a slim 1.66
ERA.
The
Angels also drafted fellow Florida junior reliever Greg Larson in
the 29th round.
Following impressive postseason performances, Anthony DeSclafani
(6th round) and Alex Panteliodis (9th round) were the first two
Gators chosen after Maronde.
Although both juniors have struggled with consistency this season,
the pair displayed noteworthy showings at the Southeastern
Conference Tournament and Gainesville Regional to boost their draft
stock. The Toronto Blue Jays picked DeSclafani, adding another
hard-throwing right-hander to their deep farm system.
The
New York Mets selected Panteliodis after the lefty starter has
rebounded from a hip injury and rough 2011 campaign.
Right-hander Tommy Toledo went to the Milwaukee Brewers in the 11th
round, the third time the redshirt junior has been selected. Toledo
turned down big bucks out of high school when the San Diego Padres
selected him in the 3rd round, and last season, the Minnesota Twins
took him in the 32nd round.
Second baseman Josh Adams was the first position player from UF
taken off the board when the Florida Marlins selected the senior in
the 13th round.
After rumors circulated that junior slugger Preston Tucker demanded
at least a $500K signing bonus, the right fielder fell all the way
to the 16th round to the Colorado Rockies.
Florida’s No. 3-hole hitter was expected to be off the board
between the 7th-10th rounds, but he likely slipped due to the
alleged demands.
Backup catcher Ben McMahan — 23rd round to the Brewers —
and senior righty Matt Campbell — 24th round to the
Philadelphia Phillies — were the final two Gators taken.
UF
coach Kevin O’Sullivan has also assembled a top-rated recruiting
class and five of those signees were chosen during the first two
days of the MLB Draft.
A
year after one flame-throwing righty spurned the Padres, San Diego
dipped into the well again, selecting hard-throwing righty Michael
Kelly with the 48th pick.
Two
more potential Gators arms were taken when Hudson Boyd (No. 55 to
the Twins) and Kyle Smith (4th round to the Kansas City Royals)
were drafted.
Slugger Daniel Vogelbach was picked by the Chicago Cubs at No. 68
overall, while the Mets selected infielder Casey Turgeon in the
22nd round.
The
MLB Draft concludes Wednesday with rounds 31-50.
