A Commodore going in the top 10 is becoming a common theme at the Major League Baseball amateur draft.
The newest member of the club: left-handed pitcher Mike Minor. After three years with Vanderbilt, Minor went 7th overall to the Atlanta Braves, who were using their highest draft pick since 1991, when they had the No. 2 choice.
Other Commodores drafted in the top 10 in recent years include Pedro Alvarez, who went No. 2 overall last year to the Pittsburgh Pirates, and pitcher David Price, another southpaw, the No. 1 overall pick two years ago by the Tampa Bay Rays. Also, lefty Jeremy Sowers went 6th overall in 2004 to the Cleveland Indians, and Casey Weathers, a relief pitcher, went 8th in 2007 to the Colorado Rockies.
Price made a name for himself already by closing out the American League Championship Series for the Rays against the Red Sox and has made several starts this season, earning his first career win earlier in June.
In his final season in Nashville, Minor went 6-6 with a 3.90 earned run average, striking out 114 batters in 110 2/3 innings. He pitched a complete game to beat LSU, then the second-ranked team in the country, in the first round of the SEC Tournament. Minor also pitched on the U.S. national team and outperformed fellow pitcher Stephen Strasburg, who was the No. 1 overall pick in this year's draft by the Washington Nationals.
Joining Minor on day 2 of draft day were junior right-handed pitcher Caleb Cotham, drafted in the 5th round by the New York Yankees, and senior right-handed pitcher Nick Christiani in the 13th round by the Cincinnati Reds. Cotham pitched effectively towards the end of the season despite a torn meniscus in his left knee, and Christiani rebounded from a rocky start to the season to pitch the Commodores into the regional final against Louisville.
Also, Sam Selman, a left-handed pitcher who will play for Vanderbilt next year, was drafted in the 14th round by the Los Angeles Dodgers. Steven Liddle, a redshirt sophomore outfielder, was the lone position player on Vanderbilt drafted, going in the 15th round to the Minnesota Twins. Liddle was an All-SEC second team selection after a strong offensive season, batting a robust .348 with 10 home runs and 51 RBIs.
Finally, right-handed pitcher Drew Hayes and Commodore signee Regan Flaherty, younger brother of former Commodore Ryan Flaherty, were also drafted Wednesday, going in the 22nd and 28th rounds, respectively, to the Seattle Mariners.
Thursday, recently graduated outfielder Jonathan White fulfilled a life-long dream, going in the 40th round to the San Francisco Giants.
The Miami Herald contributed to this article.
