The Miami Marlins made eight selections on Day 2 of the 2018 MLB First-Year Player Draft on Tuesday. The Club began the day by taking University of Kentucky outfielder Tristan Pompey in the third round (No. 89 overall).
Pompey (Toronto, Ontario) is the younger brother of outfielder Dalton Pompey, who has appeared in 64 games for the Toronto Blue Jays since 2014. Tristan, 21, is a switch hitter coming off a junior campaign for the Wildcats in which he batted .335 (62x185) in 60 games, with 20 doubles, seven home runs, 39 RBI, and 10 stolen bases. He has posted a .321 (193x601) career average in three seasons at Kentucky, with 46 doubles, 24 home runs, 113 RBI, and 21 steals.
Miami's fourth-round selection (No. 117) was used on University of Mississippi catcher Nick Fortes (Deland, FL). Fortes completed his junior season with the Rebels yesterday, helping to lead his team to 48 wins, tied for the most in program history. He was second on the team in batting average (.319), home runs (11), and RBI (49). Fortes has posted a .308 (126x409) average over his three-year career at Ole Miss, with 16 home runs, 82 RBI, and a .411 on-base percentage.
The Marlins selected right-handed pitcher Chris Vallimont (Erie, PA) out of Mercyhurst College in Round 5 (No. 147); he was 10-3 with a 2.58 ERA (80.1 ip/23 er) in 15 appearances (12 starts), with 147 strikeouts. His strikeout total set a program record, and his 16.47 strikeouts-per-9.0 rate was the highest in Division II. Their Round 6 pick (No. 177) was catcher Cameron Barstad (Redwood City, CA) out of Junipero Serra High School; the left-handed bat hit .422 with two home runs and 19 RBI in 18 games as a senior. In Round 7 (No. 207), Miami took Texas A&M right-handed pitcher Cason Sherrod (Dallas, TX), who was 5-2 with a 3.98 ERA (40.2/18) and 40 strikeouts in 25 relief appearances for the Aggies in his senior season. Miami's pick in Round 8 (No. 237) was right-handed pitcher Peyton Culbertson (Collierville, TN) out of Arkansas State University; he went 2-5 with a 3.73 ERA (50.2/21) and 48 strikeouts in 16 games (eight starts) as a junior this season. In Round 9 (No. 267), the Marlins selected University of Alabama right-handed pitcher Jake Walters (Maylene, AL). The senior finished his career with the most starts (52) in Crimson Tide program history, while his 292 strikeouts ranked third; his 2.89 ERA in SEC play this year ranked fifth in the conference. With their final pick of Day 2, the Marlins selected right-handed pitcher Tanner Andrews (Rochester, IN) from Purdue University. He was Third Team All-Big Ten in his senior year, posting a 7-5 record and 2.94 ERA (98.0/32) with 78 strikeouts in 17 appearances (16 starts).
The Draft concludes with Rounds 11-40 tomorrow beginning at 12:00 p.m.
Additional information on the 2018 Marlins is available on the team's official website, www.marlins.com.