June 7, 2011
Nashville, Tenn. – The Oakland Athletics selected starting pitcher Sonny Gray in the first round with the 18th overall pick. Gray, who has posted an 11-3 record this season as the Commodores’ No. 1 starter, was the first player taken out of the Southeastern Conference and one of three taken in the first round, along with Kentucky’s Adam Meyer and LSU’s Mikie Mahtook.
Later on Monday night, the Tampa Bay Rays with the 59th overall pick took fellow weekend starter Grayson Garvin off the board. Garvin, who earned SEC Pitcher of the Year honors in 2011 on his way to setting a new Vanderbilt single-season record for victories, was selected with the second-to-last pick of the supplemental first round. Garvin and Gray become the third pair of Commodores to be taken in the first round during Tim Corbin’s tenure as head coach at Vanderbilt.
The Baltimore Orioles selected the first Vanderbilt position player of the 2011 Draft on Tuesday morning when they took third baseman Jason Esposito in the second round with the 64th overall pick. Esposito has hit .362 as a junior with eight home runs and a team-leading 55 RBI this year and was named to the All-SEC Second Team and the All-SEC Defensive Team as a third baseman at the conclusion of the regular season.
Reliever Jack Armstrong rounded out the group of four Commodores taken with the first 100 picks of the draft when the tall righthander went to the Houston Astros in the third round with the 99th overall pick. After working primarily as a starter during his sophomore season, Armstrong overcame early-season injuries as a junior to make 13 appearances out of the Vanderbilt bullpen in 2011, averaging a strikeout per inning pitched.
Senior first baseman Aaron Westlake was selected by the Detroit Tigers just a few slots later in the third round, with the 106th overall pick. Westlake, a First Team All-SEC selection at first base who has started in every game this season, is hitting .349 this season and leads the Commodores with 14 home runs and 43 walks.
Junior lefthander Corey Williams became the second member of the Vanderbilt bullpen to be drafted when the Minnesota Twins with the 117th overall selected him pick in the third round. In 30.1 innings pitched over 24 appearances and one start in 2011, Williams tallied 28 strikeouts and has held opposing batters to a .237 average so far.
The final member of the Vanderbilt weekend rotation came off the board when the Washington Nationals selected Taylor Hill in the sixth round with the 187th overall pick. Hill, the Commodores’ Sunday starter, struck out 13 and earned the decision in Vanderbilt’s 6-1 win over Belmont on Sunday night to advance to a Super Regional. In 16 starts this season, he holds a record of 5-1 with 88 strikeouts – the third-most on the team – and a 2.84 ERA.
The Atlanta Braves with the 206th overall pick selected reliever Mark Lamm. Lamm has appeared in 25 games this season out of the bullpen and compiled a 2.03 ERA and a perfect 5-0 record. Most recently, he closed out the NCAA Nashville Regional after pitching a scoreless ninth inning in relief of Hill.
Senior catcher Curt Casali became Vanderbilt’s third position player off the board when the Detroit Tigers in the 10th round took him with the 317th pick round on Tuesday afternoon. Casali’s 20 doubles and 50 RBI this season are second only to Esposito’s totals in those two categories on the team. As the everyday catcher, he has played an integral role in the daily management of a pitching staff that helped lift the Commodores to their second 50-win season in school history. He joins his teammate Aaron Westlake as members of Detroit’s 2011 Draft class.
The Atlanta Braves with the 446th overall pick took closer Navery Moore in the 14th round. Moore, who becomes the 10th Vanderbilt player selected and the second by the Atlanta Braves in 2011, has posted a 1.21 ERA and a 4-2 record in his junior season, with 11 saves and 25 strikeouts in 28 appearances. Moore and fellow reliever Mark Lamm join Aaron Westlake and Curt Casali of the Tigers as the second pair of Commodores to be drafted by the same team today.
Will Clinard joined the party in the 30th round, going to the Minnesota Twins. Clinard is the 11th Commodore selected in the draft this year matching the all-time SEC mark set by three teams Auburn (2010), Ole Miss (2009) and Georgia (2009). Clinard has been the first right-hander out of the pen for the Commodores in 2011 appearing in a team-high 31 games.