Rockies and first-round pick RHP Jonathan Gray agree to terms
Gray was the 3rd overall pick in the 2013 MLB First-Year Player Draft
DENVER -- The Colorado Rockies announced today that the club has agreed to terms with right-handed pitcher Jonathan Gray, the club's first-round selection (3rd overall) in the 2013 First-Year Player Draft. Per club policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Gray, 21, was a unanimous selection to the All-Big 12 First-team in 2013. He was also a Second-Team member of the Louisville Slugger All-America team. In 16 starts for the Sooners thus far in 2013, Gray has gone 10-2 with a 1.59 ERA (119.0 ip, 21 er), 22 walks, 138 strikeouts and a .188 opponent's batting average. He has four complete games, two of which are complete game shutouts. Gray's Sooners were the 2013 Big 12 Tournament Champions and are playing Louisiana State in a Super Regional beginning tomorrow for a chance to go to the 2013 College World Series.
Gray (6-foot-4, 239 pounds) was rated as having the best fastball in the draft by Baseball America. Gray's 138 strikeouts are the 2nd-most NCAA Division I, while his 0.84 WHIP (walks plus hits per innings pitched) was the 4th-lowest mark in the nation.
A native of Shawnee, OK, Gray was previously selected by the Kansas City Royals in the 13th round of the 2010 First-Year Player Draft and by the New York Yankees in the 10th round of the 2011 draft. He attended Eastern Oklahoma State College (Junior College) in 2011, where he posted a 6-2 record with a 2.89 ERA and 61 strikeouts prior to transferring to Oklahoma for the 2012 season. The right-hander went 8-4 with a 3.16 ERA (102.2 ip, 36 er), 42 walks and 104 strikeouts in 18 starts for the Sooners in 2012.