Six Gators Selected In MLB Draft
Wednesday, June 9, 2010 | Baseball
The 2010 Major League Baseball Draft concluded on Wednesday and when all was said and done, six members of head coach Kevin O'Sullivan's University of Florida team were chosen and another eight Gator signees were selected over the three-day event.
On Tuesday, junior left-hander Kevin Chapman (Coral Springs, Fla.) was picked in the fourth round by the Kansas City Royals with the 119th overall choice and senior outfielder Matt den Dekker (Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.) was taken by the New York Mets in the fifth round at number 152.
The Gators had one signee chosen during Monday night's opening round, as right-hander Karsten Whitson (Chipley, Fla./Chipley H.S.) was taken with the ninth pick by the San Diego Padres. Florida also had six of its signees chosen on the second day of the MLB Draft, as right-hander John Barbato (Miami, Fla./Varela H.S.) was taken in the sixth round with the 184th pick by the San Diego Padres, right-hander Robbie Aviles (Suffern, N.Y./Suffern H.S.) was picked by the Cleveland Indians in the seventh round at number 210, left-hander Daniel Gibson (Lutz, Fla./Jesuit H.S.) was selected by the Milwaukee Brewers in the 26th round at 789 and infielder Zack Powers (Seffner, Fla./Armwood H.S.) went to the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 28th round with the 837th choice.
On Wednesday, four members of the 2010 Florida squad heard their names called, as well as three more of O'Sullivan's signees. Redshirt sophomore right-hander Tommy Toledo (Tampa, Fla.) was selected in the 32nd round by the Minnesota Twins, senior catcher Hampton Tignor (Sarasota, Fla.) went in the 36th round to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, redshirt sophomore right-hander Justin Poovey (Granite Falls, N.C.) was chosen in the 41st round by the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim and junior right-hander Matt Campbell (Tampa, Fla.) was picked in the 42nd round by the Cincinnati Reds.
Toledo has made 10 appearances this season, including six starts, and is 3-2 with a 4.21 earned run average. The righty has totaled 26 strikeouts in 25.2 innings and issued eight walks. Tignor has played in 12 games, with two starts at catcher, and has a .125 clip with three runs and three RBI, including a sacrifice fly in the NCAA Gainesville Regional final against Florida Atlantic on Sunday night.
Over 14 appearances covering 20 innings, Poovey is 1-0 with a 7.20 ERA. The righty has registered 16 K and permitted 10 walks. Campbell has made seven stints out of the bullpen and has six strikeouts and zero walks in 9.1 innings.
In addition, three more signees were chosen on the final day of the selections, right-hander Keenan Kish (Worcester, Pa./Germantown Academy) (34th round, New York Yankees, 1,045th), right-hander Jonathan Crawford (Okeechobee, Fla./Okeechobee H.S.) (42nd round, Florida Marlins, 1,277th) and right-hander Frank Dejiulio (Ocala, Fla./Belleview H.S./Daytona State College) (43rd round, Cleveland Indians, 1,350th).
The first day consisted of the first 50 picks, including Round One and Compensation Round A. The MLB Draft resumed on Tuesday in the second round and went through the 30th round and then concluded on Wednesday with the 31st through 50th rounds.
Current Gators Chosen In 2010 Major League Baseball Draft
| Player | Round | Pick | Team |
| Kevin Chapman (LHP) | 4th | 119th | Kansas City Rotals |
| Matt den Dekker (OF) | 5th | 152nd | New York Mets |
| Tommy Toledo (RHP) | 32nd | 975th | Minnesota Twins |
| Hampton Tignor (C) | 36th | 1,104th | L.A. Angels of Anaheim |
| Justin Poovey (RHP) | 41st | 1,254th | L.A. Angels of Anaheim |
| Matt Campbell (RHP) | 43rd | 1,297th | Cincinnati Reds |
-UF-
