Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Wednesday, June 9, 2010

College Baseball: One is the loneliest number

Four players from Texas State were selected in the 2009 MLB First-Year Players Draft, but a year later, that number was dwindled to one.

With several Bobcats expecting to hear their names called on draft day, only Jason Martinson answered his cell phone with a scout from an MLB team on the other end. Martinson was chosen with the first pick of the fifth round by the Washington Nationals (click for the story).

"I had an idea I would be picked between the third and eighth rounds from talking with some scouts, but I didn’t know exactly when," Martinson said. "This is amazing though. It feels as if a lot of pressure and weight has been lifted off my chest."

As for Garret Carruth, Kyle Livingstone and Laurn Randell, they're going to need to wait for a team to sign them to a free-agent contract.

It was an especially hard pill to swallow for Carruth.

"I talked with four teams (Giants, Mets, Orioles and Pirates) and was told I'd be selected in the teens to early 20s, so I waited and waited and waited," Carruth said. "That call never came. It was really disappointing to wait that long and right now, I'm feeling if they wanted me, they would have drafted me, but if someone wanted to pick me up, I’ll probably go play but if not, I still have my options open."