School-Record 10 Gators Selected In MLB Draft
Thursday, June 11, 2009 | Baseball
The 2009 Major League Baseball Draft concluded on Thursday and when all was said and done, a school-record 10 members of head coach Kevin O'Sullivan's University of Florida team were chosen and another 12 Gator signees were selected over the three-day event. The previous high of eight UF players was set in 1999 and equaled in 2002.
“We were extremely pleased to have so many of our players and signees drafted over the past three days,” O'Sullivan said. “Player development is such an important part of the coaching process and to have Major League Baseball teams take notice of so many University of Florida players will continue to help our program.”
On Tuesday, junior right-hander Billy Bullock (Balm, Fla.) was picked in the second round by the Minnesota Twins with the 70th overall choice. The Gators had a pair of signees chosen during the opening round, as infielder Bobby Borchering (Alva, Fla./Bishop Verot H.S.) was taken with the 16th pick by the Arizona Diamondbacks and infielder LeVon Washington (Gainesville, Fla./Buchholz H.S.) went 30th to the Tampa Bay Rays. In addition, left-hander David Holmberg (Port Charlotte, Fla./Port Charlotte H.S.) went in round two to the Chicago White Sox with the 71st pick.
On Wednesday, eight members of the 2009 Florida squad heard their names called, as well as six more of O'Sullivan's signees. Senior outfielder Avery Barnes (High Springs, Fla.) was selected in the 11th round by the Colorado Rockies and junior left-hander Tony Davis (Cooper City, Fla.) went in the 12th round to the Minnesota Twins.
On the strength of SEC-bests in batting average (.382), hits (50) and runs (40) in league play, Barnes earned first-team All-SEC honors after picking up second-team kudos last year. He was the first UF outfielder to garner All-SEC in back-to-back campaigns since Ben Harrison was a second-team choice in both 2003 and 2004. Barnes belted a team-high six homers and was 8-for-11 on stolen-base attempts and also ranked third on the Gators with 19 RBI in the 30 league contests.
He tied freshman Preston Tucker (Tampa, Fla.) for the team lead with a .364 batting average and paced Florida in hits (90), runs (76), stolen bases (18) and triples (six). Barnes rated second in the club in slugging percentage (.547), total bases (135) and sacrifice hits (six). In addition, Barnes notched career highs in RBI (42) and homers (eight). His 12 triples are third on the school's all-time list.
Davis was a perfect 5-0 and led the Gator pitching staff with a 2.25 earned run average. Over 32 appearances, the southpaw limited foes to a .190 effort at the plate and notched 37 strikeouts in a career-high 44.0 innings.
Junior outfielder Matt den Dekker (Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.) was tabbed by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 16th round with the 475th selection. A member of the SEC's All-Defensive Team for the past two seasons, the center fielder batted .296 with 37 RBI and was second on the Orange and Blue in both runs (63) and stolen bases (17-for-18).
Senior right-hander Patrick Keating (Harrisburg, Ill.) was chosen in the 20th round by the Kansas City Royals with the 602nd pick following a final collegiate season in which he was 4-4 with a 5.12 ERA. The righty made 22 appearances, including seven starts, and totaled 41 strikeouts in 58.0 innings. Keating achieved first-team All-South Region and first-team All-SEC in '08, when he was 8-1 overall and a perfect 7-0 in league play.
Both junior catcher Buddy Munroe (Miami, Fla.) and senior left-hander Stephen Locke (Tampa, Fla.) were selected in the 22nd round, nine picks apart. Munroe became the third Gator chosen by the Minnesota Twins at number 672 and then Locke was taken by the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim with the 681st choice. Munroe started a team-high 44 games behind the plate and batted .270 with 26 RBI, 23 runs, seven doubles and five homers. Locke turned in a 5-2 ledger with a 4.32 ERA in a team-leading 66.2 innings, registered 48 K and issued 18 walks. He was a member of the NCAA Gainesville Regional All-Tournament Team after limiting No. 17 Miami (Fla.) to six singles and zero earned runs in a winner's bracket contest on May 30.
The Baltimore Orioles chose junior shortstop Mike Mooney (Loxahatchee, Fla.) in the 23rd round with the 686th selection. In his first season at Florida, Mooney hit .306 with 45 runs, 24 RBI and six doubles and was among the team leaders with a .442 on-base percentage and 34 walks. Sophomore outfielder Riley Cooper (Clearwater, Fla.) was drafted by the Texas Rangers in the 25th round, 754th overall, after hitting .247 with 16 runs, nine extra-base hits and eight RBI.
Florida has also had six of its signees chosen on the second day of the MLB Draft, as right-hander Patrick Schuster (Holiday, Fla./J.W Mitchell H.S.) was taken in the 13th round with the 396th pick by the Arizona Diamondbacks, left-hander Mike Rayl (Lake Worth, Fla./Park Vista H.S./Palm Beach C.C.) was picked by the Cleveland Indians in the 15th round at number 455, left-hander Brian Johnson (Cocoa Beach, Fla./Cocoa Beach H.S.) was selected by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 27th round at 817, right-hander Michael Heller (Bradenton, Fla./Cardinal Mooney H.S.) went to the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 29th round with the 865th choice, catcher Michael Zunino (Cape Coral, Fla./Mariner H.S.) was chosen by the Oakland Athletics in the 30th round with the 873rd pick and infielder Bryson Smith (Athens, Ga./North Oconee H.S./Young Harris College) went in the 30th round to the Cleveland Indians at number 905.
On Thursday, sophomore left-hander Kevin Chapman (Coral Springs, Fla.) was selected in the 50th round by the Chicago White Sox with the 1,513th choice. The lefty pitched 11.1 innings this spring and was 1-0 with a 2.38 ERA. In addition, three more signees were chosen on the final day of the selections, catcher Austin Maddox (Jacksonville, Fla./Eagle's View Academy) (37th round, Tampa Bay Rays, 1,129th), right-hander Hudson Randall (Atlanta, Ga./Dunwoody H.S.) (46th round, Kansas City Royals, 1,382nd) and left-hander Steven 'Paco' Rodriguez (Miami, Fla./Gulliver Prep) (48th round, Houston Astros, 1,451st).
The first day consisted of the first 111 picks, including Round One, Compensation Round A, Round Two, Round Three and Compensation Round B. The MLB Draft resumed on Wednesday in the fourth round and went through the 30th round and then concluded on Thursday with the 31st through 50th rounds.
Current Gators Chosen In 2009 Major League Baseball Draft
| Player | Round | Pick | Team |
| Billy Bullock (RHP) | 2nd | 70th | Minnesota Twins |
| Avery Barnes (OF) | 11th | 331st | Colorado Rockies |
| Tony Davis (LHP) | 12th | 372nd | Minnesota Twins |
| Matt den Dekker (OF) | 16th | 475th | Pittsburgh Pirates |
| Patrick Keating (RHP) | 20th | 602nd | Kansas City Royals |
| Buddy Munroe (C) | 22nd | 672nd | Minnesota Twins |
| Stephen Locke (LHP) | 22nd | 681st | L.A. Angels of Anaheim |
| Mike Mooney (SS) | 23rd | 686th | Baltimore Orioles |
| Riley Cooper (OF) | 25th | 754th | Texas Rangers |
| Kevin Chapman (LHP) | 50th | 1,513th | Chicago White Sox |
-UF-
