Yukon catcher, Manatee outfielder chosen in third round by Red Sox, Phillies
Jon Denney was chosen No. 81 overall by the Boston Red Sox in Friday action.
File photo by Kevin French
of
Yukon (Okla.), considered the top player undrafted during the first day of the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Selection, didn't have to wait long on the second day.
Denney was the third prep player chosen on Day 2 (Friday), going to the Boston Red Sox with the No. 81 pick overall. Denney was ranked No. 12 in the MaxPreps preseason player rankings and was the top uninjured player remaining on the list from the first day (Jordan Sheffield was ranked No. 8 but missed most of the season with Tommy John surgery).
See every high school pick on the MaxPreps Draft Day ReportMeanwhile
Cord Sandberg of
Manatee (Bradenton, Fla.) went to the Phillies with the No. 89 overall pick. Sandberg, the quarterback on Manatee's highly ranked football team, already has a scholarship to play at Mississippi State and thus will have to decide whether to try professional baseball or head to college. Sandberg was the second high-profile quarterback recruit selected in the first two days. The No. 1 overall high school selection,
Kohl Stewart of
St. Pius X (Houston), has a football scholarship to Texas A&M.
Chris Rivera, El Dorado
Photo by Heston Quan
High school shortstops continued to be in high demand with another nine going on the second day of the draft. One of the more curious shortstop picks came from the St. Louis Cardinals, who selected
Chris Rivera of
El Dorado (Placentia, Calif.). Once regarded as the No. 1 overall prospect in the Class of 2013, Rivera's stock dropped after a junior year in which he batted under .200 for the season.
The pick is a curious one because the Cardinals had already drafted the second-best high school shortstop prospect in the draft in
Oscar Mercado of
Gaither (Tampa, Fla.) with the No. 57 pick overall. Like Rivera, Mercado is known more for his exceptional fielding skills than for his offensive production.
Tampa Bay and San Diego have been the most active selectors of prep talent, each taking six high school players. The Detroit Tigers were the only team that did not choose a prep player during the first two days.
Tampa Bay nabbed catcher
Nick Ciuffo of
Lexington (S.C.), shortstop
Riley Unroe of
Desert Ridge (Mesa, Ariz.), outfielder
Thomas Milone of
Masuk (Monroe, Conn.), catcher
Kean Wong of
Waiakea (Hilo, Hawaii),
Stephen Woods of
Half Hollow Hills East (Dix Hills, N.Y.) and pitcher
Roel Ramirez of
United South (Laredo, Texas).
San Diego selected shortstop
Dustin Peterson of
Gilbert (Ariz.), outfielder
Jordan Paroubeck of
Serra (San Mateo, Calif.), outfielder
Mason Smith of
Rocky Mountain (Meridian, Idaho), shortstop
Josh Van Meter of
Norwell (Ossian, Ind.), first baseman
Jake Bauers of
Marina (Huntington Beach, Calif.) and
Adrian De Horta of
South Hills (West Covina, Calif.).
California continues to lead the pack with 26 high school selections. Florida is second with 14 picks while Texas has nine.
A total of 52 players from the MaxPreps Top 100 are still available, including a pair of top 13 players in Sheffield and No. 13
Ryan Boldt of
Red Wing (Minn.). Both Sheffield and Boldt missed most of their seasons with injuries, thus likely lowering their draft status.
The top uninjured players remaining in the top 25 include No. 17
Aj Puk of
Washington (Cedar Rapids, Iowa), No. 18
Cavan Biggio of
St. Thomas Catholic (Houston), No. 20
Garrett Williams of
Calvary Baptist Academy (Shreveport, La.), No. 22
Brett Morales of
King (Tampa, Fla.), No. 24
Ryan Tellez of
Elk Grove (Calif.), and No. 25
Zack Collins of
American Heritage (Plantation, Fla.).
Arlington Country Day (Jacksonville, Fla.) and
Hamilton (Chandler, Ariz.) were the only schools with two selections during the first two days. For Arlington Country Day, catcher
Brian Navarreto went to the Twins with pick No. 170 while outfielder
Iramis Olivencia went to the Miami Marlins with pick No. 232. For Hamilton, pitcher
Patrick Murphy went to the Blue Jays with pick No. 83 and first baseman
Cody Bellinger went to the Dodgers with pick No. 124.
