MLB completes first day of 2013 First-Year Player Draft
Astros select Appel first overall; eight players in attendance taken in first round; MLB Urban Youth Academy & RBI program alumni Smith, Crawford drafted in top 16
Major League Baseball has completed the first day of the 2013 First-Year Player Draft, which aired live on MLB Network and MLB.com this evening from Studio 42 at MLB Network in Secaucus, New Jersey. In total, 73 players were selected during Round 1, Competitive Balance Round A, Round 2 and Competitive Balance Round B.
Eight players who were in attendance at Studio 42 were selected in the opening round, including outfielder Clint Frazier, who was drafted out of Loganville High School in Georgia by the Cleveland Indians with the fifth overall selection. The others included Junipero Serra H.S. (CA) first baseman Dominic Smith (11th overall, NYM); Lakewood H.S. (CA) shortstop J.P. Crawford (16th overall, PHI); East Central Community College shortstop Tim Anderson (17th overall, CWS); Lexington H.S. (SC) catcher Nicholas Ciuffo (21st overall, TB); Plano West H.S. (TX) outfielder Billy McKinney (24th overall, OAK); Fresno State University outfielder Aaron Judge (32nd overall, NYY); and James Madison H.S. (CA) left-handed pitcher Ian Clarkin (33rd overall, NYY).
Two alumni of the MLB Urban Youth Academy in Compton, California - Crawford and Smith - were taken within the first 16 selections of the opening round. The duo also played in MLB's Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities (RBI) program, representing the Venice Boys and Girls Club in the 2009 RBI World Series, where their team won the junior division championship. Smith was also a member of the 2010 team that won repeated as champions.
Fifteen pitchers, including 12 right-handers and three left-handers, were selected in the first round of the Draft, the most among all positions. Other players taken in the opening round featured six outfielders, four shortstops, three third basemen, two first basemen, two catchers and one second baseman. Winder Barrow H.S. (GA) second baseman Travis Demeritte (30th overall, TEX) was the lone second baseman selected in the first round. Tonight marked the first time that multiple first basemen were chosen in the opening round since 2008, when six were selected.
A total of 18 players were chosen from college, while the other 15 players selected in the first round came from the high school ranks. The state of California produced six players selected in the first round, while Texas had four and Florida and Georgia had three players each. For the first time since the 2001 Draft, there were no pairs of teammates (college or high school) selected in the first round.
The First-Year Player Draft is scheduled to continue on Friday via conference call beginning with the third round at 1:00 p.m. (EDT) and is scheduled to go through the 10th round. The Draft will resume on Saturday beginning with the 11th round at 1:00 p.m. (EDT). The Draft will have 40 rounds and a Club may pass on its selection in any round and not forfeit its right to participate in other rounds.
Beginning on Friday, MLB.com will offer comprehensive live programming of the Draft's final two days, including a live pick-by-pick stream, expert commentary and the exclusive Draft Tracker, a searchable database of every draft-eligible player, featuring statistics, scouting reports and video highlights.