St. Louis Cardinals complete 2013 First-Year Player Draft
Cardinals grab local ties; multi-sport athletes and three players in NCAA Regionals
ST. LOUIS, Mo., June 8, 2013 - The Major League Baseball 2013 First-Year Player Draft was completed this afternoon with the St. Louis Cardinals selecting 41 total players in the 40-round draft. Among the Cardinals selections today were 15 pitchers, six outfielders, three catchers and six infielders (22 pitchers, 11 infielders, 5 outfielders and 3 catchers total). Of the 41 draft picks, 30 were collegians and 11 were high school picks.
Three of the players are still playing in the Super Regional round of the College World Series as J.J. Altobelli of Oregon and Richy Pedroza of Cal-State Fullerton join Mason Katz of LSU.
Pedroza, Trey Nielsen and Michael Holback have family ties to professional baseball as Pedroza's brothers Sergio and Jaime both played professional baseball in the minors. Nielsen's father Scott played for the Chicago White Sox and New York Yankees during the late 1980's posting a career record of 9-11 in 38 career appearances. Holback's great-grandfather, Ken, played for the Oakland Oaks of the Pacific Coast League.
A.J. Kruzel , the Cardinals 37th round pick, is the son of Joe Kruzel, current Cardinals' minor league manager of the Johnson City Cardinals in the Appalachian League.
Four selections have local connections. Zach Loraine is from Fort Zumwalt High School and first attended Lindenwood University before transferring to Coker College in South Carolina. Luke Voit, a catcher from Missouri State, went to Lafayette High School. Blake McKnight, a right-handed pitcher from O'Fallon, Mo., pitched at Evangel University and was the 38th round selection.
A two-sport athlete with local connections, Calvin Munson, recently graduated from Francis Howell High School, where he won two Missouri State Championships over the last three years. Munson has signed to play football as a linebacker for San Diego State University and was the St. Louis Post-Dispatch All-Metro Defensive Player of the Year. Outfielder DeAndre Asbury-Heath, the 15th round pick, is a two-sport athlete among the top wide receivers in the state of South Carolina.
There were three re-drafts as Voit was drafted in the 32nd round by the Kansas City Royals in 2009, Altobelli was drafted in the 49th round by the Milwaukee Brewers in 2009 and Nielsen was drafted by the Chicago Cubs in the 42nd round in 2010.
Two players attended the same high school as current St. Louis Cardinals players. Voit went to Lafayette High School, the same school which produced third baseman David Freese, and Missouri Western shortstop Michael Schulze attended Lee's Summit West High School, the same as Cardinals pitcher Trevor Rosenthal.