After a rollercoaster season that saw the VandyBoys win the SEC Tournament and, subsequently, lose in an NCAA Regional, Commodore fans looked toward the MLB Draft for some excitement in the dead period between baseball and football season. If you’re like me, though, the punched hole in your TV post-Regional loss likely made it hard to stay tuned into the 20-round, 614-pick, 3-day spectacle. Here are some highlights for those of you that fell asleep on the couch — remote in hand — last week:
Seven VandyBoys were drafted, which tied for the third-most in the SEC, only trailing the likes of LSU (13) and Tennessee (8). Overall, 79 SEC players were selected, once again eclipsing all other Power Five conferences, this time by 25 picks.
Enrique Bradfield Jr. was the first Vanderbilt player selected, who was picked 17th overall by the Baltimore Orioles. This selection extends Vanderbilt’s first-round pick streak to five years. The Commodores have had a first-round draftee in 9 of the last 10 years (no selection in 2018). Bradfield Jr. is the 22nd first-round pick of head coach Tim Corbin’s tenure at Vanderbilt, most in the SEC during this time.
The next Commodore to hear his name was Hunter Owen, the lefty pitcher out of Maine. Owen will be heading to the Kansas City Royals after his fourth-round selection.
In the next round, Patrick Reilly was taken by the Pittsburgh Pirates with the 140th pick.
Senior reliever Nick Maldonado was next to hear his new home, as the Miami Marlins drafted him in the eighth round.
One round later, Thomas Schultz completed the quad of Vanderbilt pitchers taken on the second day of the draft, being selected 255th overall by the Washington Nationals.
To finish Day Two, the Seattle Mariners snatched Vanderbilt’s graduate transfer RJ Schreck. He and Bradfield Jr. were Vanderbilt’s only two position players taken in this year’s draft.
The five selections on Day Two of the draft were the most in the SEC.
The last Commodore to hear his name called was Grayson Moore, who was selected in the 14th round by the Chicago Cubs.
Vanderbilt fans do not have to say goodbye to all seven of these selections quite yet — the only Commodore pick without remaining NCAA eligibility is Schreck. However, Reilly and Schultz have already signed their MLB contracts, and it’s safe to say that higher picks like Bradfield Jr., Owen and Maldonado will accept a contract offer and enter their respective teams’ farm systems.
In addition to the seven VandyBoys taken, four Vanderbilt commits, headlined by third overall pick Max Clark, were selected in the draft. The other three likely forgoing a college experience are George Lombard Jr., Thomas White and Alex Clemmey.
Ultimately, only time will tell who is back in the Black and Gold next season. Until then, get excited for football.
