Colorado Rockies select eight players on MLB Draft's second day
On the second day of Major League Baseball's 2018 First-Year Player Draft, the Colorado Rockies selected three right-handed pitchers, two outfielders, one catcher, one left-handed pitcher and one shortstop. For the second consecutive season, all eight of the Rockies' selections on the second day of the draft came from the college ranks.
Below is a pick-by-pick breakdown of the Rockies' Tuesday selections:
Shortstop Terrin Vavra, a junior from the University of Minnesota, was selected in the third round with the 96th overall pick … the left-handed hitter has batted .393 (84-for-214) with 54 runs, 13 doubles, four triples, 10 home runs, 59 RBI, 30 walks, 19 strikeouts and eight stolen bases in 56 games with the Golden Gophers this season … the Menomonie, Wisc., native was one of five finalists for the Brooks Wallace Award for the nation's top collegiate shortstop and was named First Team All-America by Baseball America … Minnesota will travel to Oregon State Friday for its first NCAA Super Regional since 1977 … is the son of current Minnesota Twins bench coach Joe Vavra … his two older brothers, Tanner and Trey, are currently in the Twins' Minor League system.
Right-handed pitcher Ryan Feltner, a junior from Ohio State University, was selected in the fourth round with the 126th overall pick … the 6-foot-4, 195-pounder went 5-5 with a 4.52 ERA (91.2 IP, 46 ER), 44 walks and 86 strikeouts in 17 appearances, 16 starts, for the Buckeyes … did not allow a run in 13 relief appearances (15.1 IP) in the Cape Cod League in 2017 while recording 15 strikeouts, earning the Outstanding Relief Pitcher award … a native of Hudson, Ohio, Feltner was originally drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 25th round of the 2015 First-Year Player Draft out of Walsh Jesuit High School, where he was named the 2015 Gatorade State Baseball Player of the Year.
The Rockies selected right-handed pitcher Jake Bird with the 156th overall pick in the fifth round out of UCLA … the 6-foot-4, 210-pound senior from Valencia, Calif., went 7-4 with a 2.18 ERA (111.2 IP, 27 ER), 33 walks and 61 strikeouts in 16 starts with the Bruins in 2018 … the senior was named to the Pac-12 All-Conference Team after leading the league with a 1.99 ERA and finishing third in the conference with 104.0 innings pitched.
Outfielder Nico Decolati, a junior from Loyola Marymount University, was selected in the sixth round with the 186th overall pick … the right-handed hitter batted .271 (56-for-207) with 38 runs, 12 doubles, three triples, six home runs, 21 RBI and eight stolen bases across 54 games for the Lions in 2018 … in 2017, as a member of the Orleans Firebirds in the Cape Cod Baseball League, the 6-foot-1, 215-pounder hit .311 (38-for-122) with five doubles, one home run, 12 RBI and three stolen bases in 32 games … the three-year starter was born in Boulder, Colo. but was raised and went to high school in Las Vegas, Nev. … his father, Christopher Decolati, played baseball at the University of Northern Colorado.
Andrew Quezada, a right-handed pitcher from Cal State Fullerton, was selected in the seventh round, 216th overall … the 20-year-old junior went 4-5 with three complete games, a 3.90 ERA (83.0 IP, 36 ER), 19 walks and 68 strikeouts in 14 starts for the Titans this season … Fullerton is scheduled to host the University of Washington in a NCAA Super Regional beginning on Friday … the Bellflower, Calif., native previously attended Cypress (Calif.) College where he recorded the school's first no-hitter and posted a 1.17 ERA as a sophomore in 2017.
With the 246th overall pick in the eighth round, the Rockies selected left-handed pitcher Nick Bush, a sophomore out of Louisiana State University … the 6-foot-1, 195-pounder went 1-1 with a 3.40 ERA (47.2 IP, 18 ER), 17 walks and 42 strikeouts in 24 appearances, five starts, for the Tigers in 2018 … the Leesburg, Ga., native redshirted in 2016 after undergoing Tommy John surgery, but returned in 2017 to go 1-1 with a 3.75 ERA, 19 walks and 22 strikeouts in 24 innings pitched.
Catcher Willie MacIver, a junior from the University of Washington, was selected in the ninth round with the 276th overall pick … the right-handed hitter has batted .246 (32-for-130) with five doubles, two home runs, 23 RBI and 15 walks in 36 games played with the Huskies … the Pleasant Hill, Calif., native has started a majority of his games at third base (29 starts) while also seeing time at first base and catcher … missed the beginning of the season after a hamate injury … was named a Cape Cod League All-Star in 2017 after hitting .272 with six doubles, two home runs, 17 RBI and 19 stolen bases … was named a Pac-12 Honorable Mention in 2017 after batting .292 (56-for-192) in 54 games.
Outfielder Cade Harris, from the University of Oklahoma, was selected in the 10th and final round of the second day of the draft, 306th overall … in 63 games with the Sooners, the Leona, Texas, native batted .274 (65-for-237) with 63 runs, 23 doubles, three triples, five home runs, 32 RBI, 66 walks and 11 stolen bases … the 6-foot-2, 195-pound junior finished second on the club in on-base percentage behind first-round draft pick Steele Walker, after leading the club with a .454 on-base percentage in 2017.
The Rockies made three selections yesterday on the first day of the 2018 First-Year Player Draft, picking left-handed pitcher Ryan Rolison in the first round (22nd overall), first baseman Grant Lavigne in the Competitive Balance Round A (42nd overall) and right-handed pitcher Mitchell Kilkenny with the 76th overall pick as compensation for losing reliver Greg Holland to free agency.
The draft will conclude Wednesday with rounds 11 through 40.