Florida Atlantic University Athletics
Six Players Selected in MLB Draft
6/8/2007 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
June 8, 2007
At the conclusion of the 2007 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft, six Florida Atlantic University players found their names on the board. Robbie Widlansky, Daniel Cook, Mickey Storey, Justin Phillabaum, Brandon Cooney and Daniel Bomback were all selected on the second day of the draft.
The Sun Belt Player of the Year, Robbie Widlansky was selected by the Baltimore Orioles in the 11th round. The junior was named a First-Team All-American by Louisville Slugger and Second-Team All-American by Rivals.com. He broke several FAU records this season in hits, total bases and batting average. The Coral Springs, FL native finished with 104 hits, a .433 batting average, 15 home runs and 69 RBI.
Fellow junior Daniel Cook (Miami, FL) was taken by the Washington Nationals in the 20th round. The outfielder was a Second-Team All-Conference selection after hitting .349 with six home runs, 39 RBI and 15 stolen bases.
The first of three FAU pitchers to be selected, Mickey Storey (Deerfield Beach, FL) was taken by the Minnesota Twins in the 22nd round. After outstanding freshmen and sophomore seasons, Storey sat out the last three months of 2007 with an injury. In 2005 he was selected as the Louisville Slugger Freshman Pitcher of the Year and has amassed a 20-10 record and 2.91 ERA with 244 strikeouts in 244 1/3 innings in his FAU career.
Relief pitchers Justin Phillabaum and Brandon Cooney were picked in the 29th and 30th rounds by the Washington Nationals and Baltimore Orioles, respectively. Phillabaum (Royal Palm Beach, FL) made 17 appearances and eight starts for the Owls in 2007. In 46 2/3 innings he struck out 46 batters.
Cooney returned for his senior season at FAU and made 22 appearances and seven starts. In 55 innings, the Pembroke Pines, FL native recocrded 57 strikeouts.
The fifth junior to be taken was second baseman Daniel Bomback, who was taken in the 42nd round by the Pittsburgh Pirates. He finished the season by being named to the Sun Belt All-Tournament Team and finished the year with 67 runs scored, 16 home runs and 59 RBI.
The Baltimore Orioles also signed senior Chris Salberg last week. The left-handed pitcher was a draft and follow player from the 2006 draft. Prior to the 2007 draft, FAU has had 80 players move on to professional baseball, including four major leagues; Tim Harikkala, Carmen Cali, Jeff Fiorentino and Tommy Murphy.
Two players who signed National Letters of Intent to play at FAU next season were also drafted. Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School first baseman Anthony Rizzo was taken in the 6th round by the Boston Red Sox and the Chicago Cubs selected Palm Beach Community College pitcher Stephen Vento in the 23rd round.
