A grand total of eleven current and former Foresters were drafted by major league clubs during this past week’s 2013 MLB Draft.
Oklahoma State’s Jason Hursh went off the board first, taken by the Atlanta Braves in the first round with the 31st overall pick. The right handed Hursh played with the Foresters during the 2011 and 2012 season, helping win the National Baseball Congress World Series each year.
A pair of former Forester arms went off the board in the fourth round, as the Pittsburgh Pirates took Cody Dickson 119th overall and the Detroit Tigers took Austin Kubitza 126th.
Dickson, a left handed pitcher from Sam Houston State, played with the Foresters in 2012 making 11 appearances and holding a 2.86 ERA in his 34 and 2/3 innings. Kubitza, a righty from Rice, started three games spread across his 10 appearances for the 2011 Foresters.
In the 10th round Rice right fielder Michael Ratterree went to the Milwaukee Brewers 302nd overall. Ratterree hit .287 with five home runs in 2010 and .304 with another five homers in the 2011 season.
Long Beach State shortstop Jeff McNeil went to the New York Mets in the 12th round. McNeil played in Santa Barbara during the 2010 and 2011 seasons. He hit .373 in 28 games in 2010 and returned to hit .331 with five triples and 20 stolen bases in 2011.
However it was not just former Foresters that were drafted as the early leader in multiple offensive categories, catcher Shane Rowland, went in the 20th round to the Cleveland Indians. Rowland had hit .385 in the six games prior to him being drafted. He added nine RBIs and 11 walks, which helped to push his on base percentage to a team-high .593.
John Beck, a right hander from the University of Texas-Arlington, went in the 15th round to the Colorado Rockies. Beck, who was projected for the 2013 roster, pitched in last August’s NBC World Series clinching game. Going 6 and 1/3 innings, Beck struck out 10 while allowing just one run.
Also drafted were Cal State Fullerton shortstop and 2012 Forester Richie Pedroza in the 17th round by the St. Louis Cardinals, UCSB righty and 2012 member Jared Wilson in the 19th round by the Minnesota Twins, Angelo State shortstop and 2011 Forester Christian Summers in the 19th round by the San Diego Padres. Lastly, Wichita State left handed pitcher and member of both the 2011 and 2012 teams, Albert Minnis, went to the Houston Astros at the top of the 25th round.
