Giants Pick Shortstop, A's Pluck Pitcher In 1st Round Of MLB Draft
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS/AP) - The San Francisco Giants selected St. John's shortstop Joe Panik with their first pick in the baseball draft, while their cross bay rivals selected Vanderbilt right-hander Sonny Gray with the 18th pick.
Gray is undersized at 5-foot-11 but had the talent to go even higher in Monday's draft. He has a fastball in the low- to mid-90s and knee-buckling curveball and projects as either a closer or starter in the majors.
Gray is 11-3 with a 2.03 ERA in 16 starts for Vanderbilt this season. He has 115 strikeouts in 107 2-3 innings. He is the co-ace, along with Grayson Garvin, of the Commodores staff, helping the team reach the super regionals of the NCAA tournament.
Panik, a left-handed slugger who led the Red Storm with a .398 batting average, was taken with the 29th overall pick and maybe a long-term solution in the middle infield. The defending World Series champs have Freddy Sanchez at second but have used a variety of players at shortstop this season, including Miguel Tejada.
Panik hit 10 home runs and boasted a .642 slugging percentage at St. John's this season, though he grounded out to end the Red Storm's season in the semifinal of the Charlottesville Regional on Sunday.
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