A's agree to terms with 18 players from First-Year Player Draft
OAKLAND, Calif. - The Oakland A's agreed to terms with 18 players from the 2015 First-Year Player Draft, including seven of their first 10 selections, the club announced today. The players include shortstop Mikey White (2nd round, Alabama), left-handed pitcher Kevin Duchene (5th, Univ. of Illinois), right-handed pitcher Bowdien Derby (6th, San Diego State), right-handed pitcher Kyle Friedrichs (7th, Long Beach State), catcher Nicholas Collins (8th, Georgetown), left-handed pitcher Jared Lyons (9th, Liberty University), outfielder Steven Pallares (10th, San Diego State), outfielder Brett Siddall (13th, Canisius), right-handed pitcher James Naile (20th, Alabama-Birmingham), right-handed pitcher Robert Bowers (24th, Campbell), left-handed pitcher Evan Manarino (25th, UC Irvine), right-handed pitcher Marc-Antoine Berube (28th, Pittsburgh), right-handed pitcher Armando Ruiz (29th, Alabama State), right-handed pitcher Brendan Butler (30th, Dowling College), right-handed pitcher John Gorman (31st, Boston College), right-handed pitcher Michael Murray (32nd, Florida Gulf Coast University), center fielder Michael Martin (33rd, Harvard) and first baseman Shane Conlon (34th, Kansas State).
White batted .339 with 19 doubles, six triples, four home runs and 35 RBI in 60 games with the Crimson Tide. He added 31 walks and was hit by a pitch 13 times for a .444 on-base percentage. The right-handed hitter started all 184 games at shortstop during his three seasons at Alabama and had a .308 career batting average and .403 on-base percentage.
Duchene was 11-2 with a 1.75 ERA in 15 starts for Illinois. He struck out 88 and walked just 18 while holding the opposition to a .235 batting average. Derby logged an 8-4 record, one save and a 3.32 ERA in 17 games, including 16 starts for the Aztecs. He struck out 131 batters in 103.0 innings and led the Mountain West Conference in strikeouts. Friedrichs went 6-4 with a 2.79 ERA in 15 starts for Long Beach State to earn All-Big West second team honors. He struck out 109 in 100.0 innings and walked just 12 batters, an average of 1.08 per nine innings. Collins was named Big East Player of the Year after batting .370 with seven home runs and 36 RBI in 53 games for the Hoyas. He led the conference in slugging (.540) and home runs, tied for the lead in hits (78), ranked second in batting and was fourth in on-base percentage (.435). Lyons was a Louisville Slugger third team All-America selection and Big South Pitcher of the Year after going 8-2 with a 1.99 ERA in 16 games, including 13 starts. He struck out 100 batters in 99.2 innings and walked just 22. Pallares batted .352 with nine home runs and 48 RBI in 64 games. He added 37 walks and was hit by a pitch nine times for a .447 on-base percentage.