Florida Atlantic University Athletics
Six Baseball Players Drafted in MLB Draft
6/7/2012 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Boca Raton, FL - Three players from the 2012 Florida Atlantic University's Sun Belt Conference regular-season championship baseball team joined three incoming signees in being selected for possible professional careers through this year's Major League Baseball Draft.
Junior right-handed relief pitcher R.J. Alvarez was the top pick for the Los Angeles Angels, selected in the third round with the 114th overall choice Meanwhile, junior third baseman Kyle Newton was a 19th round pick (588th overall) by the Colorado Rockies and senior right-handed pitcher Ryan Garton was picked in the 34th round by the Tampa Bay Rays.
FAU signees were picked in this year's draft were Brandon Welch and Robert Whalen, both selected by the New York Mets, and Alex Lavandero, picked by the Milwaukee Brewers.
Alvarez, from Royal Palm Beach, was expected to be a top draftee after earning first-team All-Sun Belt Conference (SBC) honors this spring and being named to the midseason watch list for National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association "Stopper of the Year" Award. He finished the season with a 5-0 record, eight saves and a dazzling 0.76 earned run average. He had 47 strikeouts and only 10 walks in 37.2 innings over 22 mound appearances.
"R.J. had a great career and a fabulous junior year," said John McCormack, FAU's head baseball coach. "He worked hard in his three years and deserves being a third rounder. I am very proud of him and his accomplishments. He comes from a wonderful family and his success is well deserved."
Newton, from Lakeland, ranked second on the team with a .311 batting average in his first season in Boca Raton. He connected on seven home runs and had 34 runs batted in, 13 doubles, and 37 runs.
"I am very happy for Kyle. He worked hard and performed well on the field," said McCormack. "He should be very proud of himself."
Garton, from New Port Richey, was the Owls' No. 1 starting pitcher for three seasons. He was a first-team All-SBC selection after leading the league with nine victories (9-3 record) with a 3.09 earned run average and 84 strikeouts.
"I am excited the Ryan will be starting his professional career shortly," said McCormack. "He had a fantastic career and he is ready to compete on the next level."
Welch, an incoming junior college transfer from Palm Beach State College, was the Mets' fifth-round selection and 170th overall pick in this year's draft. He was rated the 15th best junior college prospect in the country. The pitcher played his freshman year at Daytona State College, where he recorded four saves and 29 strikeouts in 31 innings.
The Mets selected Whalen, an incoming freshman from Haines City High School, in the 12th round with the 380th pick. He earned 2011 Perfect Game Underclassmen All-American honors. The right-handed pitcher was named the Pitcher of the Year for Haines City after striking out 74 batters in just 52 innings and posted a 3.06 ERA.
Lavandero, an incoming freshman at Belen Jesuit Prep School, was picked in the ninth round (305th overall) by the Brewers. He ranked as the 214th best high-school prospect in the country and 37th in Florida. He was earned first-team Miami-Dade County honors in 2012 after going 7-2 on the mound with a 2.10 earned run average and 66 strikeouts in 55 innings pitched.
FAU went 19-8 to capture its second Sun Belt Conference regular-seaosn title in the last three seasons. The team posted a 32-22 record this past spring, marking the program's 14th straight winning season.
