July 17, 2015
Nashville, Tenn. – First round picks Walker Buehler and Dansby Swanson agreed to terms with their respective major league teams on the final day teams are allowed to sign their draft picks.
Swanson, the top overall pick in the draft, inked a deal with the Arizona Diamondbacks. The Marietta, Ga. native was the second Commodore to be the No. 1 pick teaming up with David Price (2007) to make Vanderbilt one of only two colleges to have multiple No. 1 picks. Swanson posted an amazing junior season leading the Dores back to the College World Series finals after winning Most Outstanding Player honors as the Commodores captured the school’s first-ever men’s national championship in 2014. Swanson led Vandy in average, runs scored, hits, doubles, triples and home runs during his last season in Black & Gold en route to being named National Player of the Year and first team All-American by multiple outlets.
He became the first Vandy shortstop to earn first team All-American honors and was named the top shortstop in the nation, winning the Brooks Wallace Award. Swanson became the first college shortstop since Bill Almon (Brown University) in 1974 to be selected first overall.
Buehler signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers as the franchise’s first overall pick of June’s draft, the 24th overall pick. A preseason All-American, Buehler went 5-2 with a 2.95 ERA in 16 starts during his junior campaign, picking up a win at the CWS against TCU. The right-hander won 21 games and struck out 260 during his three seasons at Vanderbilt.
Buehler joined Swanson and Carson Fulmer as a record three first round picks for the Dores in the Draft that saw eight Commodores selected overall. Buehler and Fulmer are the eighth and ninth Vandy pitchers to be selected in the first round in the Tim Corbin era.
Along with the three first round picks, Philip Pfeifer (LAD), Rhett Wiseman (WSH), Tyler Ferguson (TEX) and Zander Wiel (MIN) all signed professional deals with their respective teams giving Vanderbilt its most players turning pro in a single season since 2011 when a record 11 inked professional contracts. John Kilichowski, selected in the 39th round by the Chicago Cubs, will return to Vanderbilt for the 2016 season.
With seven Commodores joining the professional ranks, Vanderbilt now has 40 former players playing professional affiliated baseball.
