UCLA baseball reloads
FROM UCLA:
LOS ANGELES - UCLA's five incoming freshmen signed to National Letters of Intent who were selected in June's Major League Baseball Draft did not sign a professional contract prior to Monday evening's 9 p.m. (PT) deadline and will enroll and play baseball at UCLA this fall.
Brenton Allen, Adam Plutko, Nick Vander Tuig, Zach Weiss and Kevin Williams were drafted in June and will compete for the Bruins in 2011. Plutko, a right-handed pitcher from Glendora, Calif. (Glendora High School) was selected in the sixth round by the Houston Astros - the highest draft selection of the five incoming ballplayers.
"The players that are coming into UCLA as freshmen have a tremendous future in our program," said seventh-year head coach John Savage. "This class will have an immediate impact, both on the mound as well as on the field. We are very excited that the entire recruiting class will show up in Westwood."
Additionally, nine of UCLA's 11 draftees from the 2010 team have signed pro contracts with their respective organizations. Of those nine selections, two did not have any remaining eligibility (seniors Garett Claypool and Blair Dunlap). Seven signed as either juniors or redshirt sophomores and will forgo their remaining collegiate eligibility - Matt Drummond, Niko Gallego, Erik Goeddel, Matt Grace, Dan Klein, Brett Krill and Rob Rasmussen.
Outfielder Chris Giovinazzo and left-hander Mitchell Beacom were both selected in the 2010 MLB Draft and have decided to return for the 2011 season. Giovinazzo will be one of UCLA's two seniors (along with right-hander Jordan Haver), while Beacom will begin his redshirt junior season.
Plutko finished his senior season at Glendora as the CIF Southern Section Division II Player of the Year, helping lead the Tartans to the CIF Division II Championship. Plutko went 10-1 with a 1.36 ERA in 2010, registering 97 strikeouts and 18 walks in 67 innings.
Allen was selected in the ninth round by the Philadelphia Phillies. The left-handed outfielder from Cerritos, Calif. (Gahr High School) earned first-team All-CIF Southern Section Division III honors in 2010. Allen batted .421 with six home runs, 33 RBI and 28 runs for the Gladiators, posting a team-best .803 slugging percentage.
Weiss, a right-handed pitcher from Irvine, Calif., was drafted in the 10th round by the Pittsburgh Pirates. During his senior season at Northwood High School, he went 7-5 with a 2.45 ERA and two saves, logging 82 strikeouts and 34 walks in 65.2 innings. Playing for the Wenatchee Apple Sox of the West Coast Collegiate League this summer, Weiss has gone 1-1 with a 3.38 ERA. Weiss has led Wenatchee to the league's championship series this week.
Vander Tuig, a right-handed pitcher from Oakdale, Calif., was selected in the 39th round by the Toronto Blue Jays. Vander Tuig went 8-1 with a 0.82 ERA as a junior in 2009 before missing his senior season with a right arm injury. The graduate of Oakdale High School hurled seven complete games in 11 appearances as a junior, securing first-team All-State honors from Cal-High Sports in 2009.
Williams, an infielder from Van Nuys, Calif., was chosen in the 41st round by the Los Angeles Dodgers. A standout on both the baseball and football fields, Williams secured first-team All-CIF Southern Section Division II honors on the diamond his senior season at Crespi High School. He led the Celts with a .412 batting average, collecting three homers, 10 doubles, 21 RBI, 20 runs and a .512 on-base percentage.
Student-athletes enrolling at four-year colleges are draft eligible after completing their junior seasons, or after their 21st birthdays. The exception to this rule is Division III schools, where players can be drafted before their junior year. Junior and community college players are eligible to be drafted at any time.
I don't follow baseball, so excuse the possibly ignorant question, but why do baseball players who are drafted out of high school go on to college instead of jumping straight to the pros? Do they think they will improve more in college instead of playing on a minor league team? It seems that if the NBA or NFL were able to draft high schoolers, I'd imagine that all who were drafted would make the jump right away, since playing in the pros is a dream for many of them.
Second ignorant question: if a player is drafted out of high school but decides to go to college, does the original team who drafted him retain rights to him or does the player enter the draft again?
Great news! Hope the freshmen will take us back to the College World Series.
Should be a great fall to see who emerges as the starting pitchers for UCLA. They are loaded with pitching again starting with Cole and Bauer. Next in line is the talented sophomore Scott Griggs, who saw limited and inconsistent playing time last year due to the depth of pitching from the senior players, but who is the front runner for the Sunday starting rotation with his 95/96 MPH fastball and 'drop the hammer' curveball he showed at the College World Series. Sources have also said he has perfected a nasty change-up this summer. Next is Michael Beacom, the only lefty on the staff and who had a great summer. Also, Chase Brewer, had a great summer in Washington. The freshman will definitely contribute this year, starting with Weiss and Plutko, and Vander Tuig, once he gets healthy from Tommy John's surgery. All-in-all the Bruins are loaded!!!