The Major League draft had good news and a bit of bad for UNC.
The fact that only three Tar Heel players were drafted on the first day means that Mike Fox has a young team that will be very good again next season. The Major League draft is restricted to players who come right out of high school and collegians who have finished their juniors years academically. The NBA should try that.
The bad news for Carolina came from one of those high school stars who signed with the Tar Heels but then was drafted high enough to get a big bonus from a Major League club. That is 5-11 outfielder Austin Beck, picked sixth by the Oakland A’s who will be offered a big enough contract to go right into professional baseball.
Three eligible Tar Heels were among the first 36 players drafted. Pitching ace J.B. Bukauskus was the 15th pick by the Houston Astros. The Virginia native was 21-6 with a 3.18 ERA over three seasons and each of his 42 career starts came on the weekend. Bukauskas struck out a career-best 116 batters as a junior and ended the 2017 season with 294 career K’s, fifth-most all-time at Carolina.
Shortstop Logan Warmoth was selected 22nd overall by the Toronto Blue Jays. A first-team All-American from Orlando, Warmoth was one of the country’s top position players as a junior, posting career bests in hits, runs, doubles, triples, homers, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, walks and steals. He also emerged as one of the top defensive infielders nationally, posting a .970 fielding percentage.
Centerfielder Brian Miller was taken 36th overall by the Miami Marlins. The third-team All-American from Raleigh, Miller set the tone for the Tar Heels as the team’s lead-off hitter. In his first full season in the outfield, Miller proved to be an elite defender to go with career highs in runs, hits, doubles, homers, RBIs, and steals.
Mid-.200 hitters catcher Cody Roberts and infielder Zack Gahagan were selected on day two of the 2017 MLB Draft. Roberts went in the 38th round to Miami and Gahagan in the 39th round to Cincinnati. Overall, Carolina had five players selected, marking the 12th time in 19 years under Fox that at least that many were picked.
The good news is that four regular starters, including three .300 hitters, and most of the pitching staff, will return joined by what has been rated as the No. 1 high school recruiting class in the nation.
(Photo: GoHeels.com)
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