Two More Gators Selected On 2nd Day Of MLB Draft
Saturday, June 7, 2008 | Baseball
University of Florida junior outfielder Avery Barnes (High Springs, Fla.) and senior right-hander Josh Edmondson (LaGrange, Ga .) were selected Friday on day two of the 2008 Major League Baseball Draft. The 50-round, 1,504-player draft began on Thursday with the first six rounds and concluded tonight with the final 44 rounds. Over the two days, the Gators had sophomore shortstop Cole Figueroa (Tallahassee, Fla.) selected in the sixth round by San Diego and a total of eight signees chosen by the American and National League clubs.
Barnes was taken by the Washington Nationals in the 40th round with the 1,201st overall pick. A second-team All-SEC selection, he led UF in a variety of offensive categories, including batting average (.360), on-base percentage (.434), hits (81), runs (65), stolen bases (26-for-29), triples (four) and sacrifice hits (four). Barnes ranked second on the club with 23 multiple-hit games, tied for third with 29 walks and was fourth with 11 doubles. He paced the Orange and Blue offense during series against South Carolina (.615), Kentucky (.563) and Tennessee (.500) and had a walk-off single to defeat Brown on March 8.
The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim made Edmondson their 41st-round pick with the 1249th selection. Over 26 appearances, the reliever registered a team-low earned run average of 2.87 and turned in a 4-3 ledger. In 47.0 innings, Edmondson notched 33 strikeouts and issued 18 walks, while limiting foes to a .254 batting average. He collected saves against both SEC divisional champions, LSU (March 28, 0.2 IP) and Georgia (April 27, 2.1 IP). Edmondson finished among UF's career leaders with 96 appearances and sported a career mark of 11-4 with a 3.39 ERA.
Over the two days, head coach Kevin O'Sullivan had eight signees from his initial recruiting class selected in the draft. Outfielder Kenny Wilson (Tampa, Fla.) was taken in the second round with the 63rd pick by the Toronto Blue Jays on Thursday. Right-hander Ryan Weber (St. Petersburg, Fla.) went 376th overall to the Philadelphia Phillies during the 12th round, right-hander Anthony DeSclafani (Freehold, N.J.) was taken by the World Champion Boston Red Sox in the 22nd round at number 682 and infielder Jerico Weitzel (Ridgway, Pa.) went to the Minnesota Twins in the 27th round at pick 816. There were two potential future Gators tabbed in the 30th round, right-hander Juan Carlos Sulbaran (Davie, Fla.) by the Cincinnati Reds with the 899th choice and catcher Ben McMahan (Windermere, Fla.) at number 920 by the New York Yankees. Outfielder Tyler Thompson (Tequesta, Fla.) was snagged by the San Francisco Giants in the 42nd round with the 1,257th choice and left-hander Nick Maronde (Lexington, Ky.) was picked by the Oakland Athletics in the 43rd round at number 1,294.
Current Gators Chosen In 2008 Major League Baseball Draft
| Player | Round | Pick | Team |
| Cole Figueroa | 6th | 195th | San Diego Padres |
| Avery Barnes | 40th | 1,201st | Washington Nationals |
| Josh Edmondson | 41st | 1,249th | Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim |
-UF-
