June 5, 2008
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NASHVILLE, Tenn. –Juniors Pedro Alvarez, Ryan Flaherty and Brett Jacobson along with signees Ryan Westmoreland and Adam Milligan were selected on the first day of Major League Baseball’s amateur draft.
Alvarez, the Preseason Player of the Year, was selected with the second pick in the first round by the Pittsburgh Pirates. The third baseman suffered a broken hand in the first game of the year, causing him to miss the next 23 games. Despite the injury he was a first team All-SEC selection and finished the year with a .317 batting average with nine homers and 30 RBI in 40 games. Alvarez had 49 career homers, tied with Scotti Madison for tops in school history, with 51 doubles and a .349 batting average.
Flaherty was selected by the Pirates National League Central rival Chicago Cubs with the 41st pick overall in the compensatory round. He had a career high 14 homers and 63 RBI en route to second team All-SEC plaudits. Like Alvarez, he has a career .349 batting average with 52 doubles, 20 homers and 169 runs batted in.
Jacobson was selected by the Detroit Tigers in the fourth round with the 133rd overall pick. He finished the year with four saves and 42 strikeouts in 46.0 innings. The Arizona native is 10-7 with a 3.92 ERA and five saves in his three-year collegiate career.
Westmoreland, a two-way high-school player from Portsmouth, R.I., was a fifth-round selection of the Boston Red Sox (172nd overall). He is a two-time All-State selection and two-time Rhode Island Gatorade Player of the Year. The speedy outfielder also served as a pitcher, striking out 19 of 21 batters in a perfect game in the spring.
Milligan was a sixth-round selection (190th overall) by the Atlanta Braves. He recently completed his sophomore season at Walters State Community College, helping lead the team to a 55-9 overall record and the Junior College World Series. The outfielder batted .395 with 21 homers and 76 RBI. This is the third time the Braves have drafted him as they selected him in the 28th round out of high school and in the 27th round a year ago.
