Rockies Conclude Day One of 2014 MLB Draft by selecting INF Forrest Wall and RHP Ryan Castellani
Wall was selected #35th overall, Castellani was the club's second round pick and #48th overall
DENVER - With the club's compensatory pick in the first round (35th overall) in the 2014 First-Year Player Draft, the Colorado Rockies selected infielder Forrest Wall from Orangewood Christian High School in Maitland, Florida. In the second round (#48th overall) the Rockies selected right-handed pitcher Ryan Castellani from Brophy College Preparatory in Phoenix, Arizona.
Wall (6-foot-1, 180 pounds), 18, played in 21 games during his senior year at Orangewood Christian High School batting .500 (28-for-56) with 16 RBI, 31 runs and an on-base percentage of .610. In his four-year high school career, the left-handed hitting infielder hit .461 (106-for-230) with 25 doubles, 8 triples, 9 home runs, 70 RBI and 98 runs in 79 games. He also went 70-for-71 in stolen base attempts over his high school career.
He was rated as the #34 prospect in the draft and the #1 second baseman by Baseball America and the #42 prospect by MLB.com. Wall signed a letter-of-intent to play baseball at North Carolina.
Castellani (6-foot-4, 190 pounds), 17, went 1-0 with a save and a 1.59 ERA (22.0 ip, 5 er) in five games during his senior season for the Broncos. He led all Brophy Prep pitchers with 23 strikeouts and in innings pitched. The right-handed hurler was a 2014 Perfect Game 3rd Team All-American and West Region 1st Team. He was rated as the #98 prospect and #3 player in the state of Arizona by Baseball America. He is committed to play baseball at Arizona State University.
Earlier in the draft, the Rockies selected left-handed pitcher Kyle Freeland from the University of Evansville with the 8th overall pick in the 2014 First-Year Player Draft. Freeland, a Denver native and Thomas Jefferson High School graduate, was rated the 7th overall player in the draft by MLB.com and the 5th overall player in the draft by Baseball America.
Freeland, 21, was selected to the Louisville Slugger All-America Third Team, the ninth player in Evansville's history to be selected for an All-America team. He was one of 21 players to be named a semifinalist for the Golden Spikes Award, presented to the top amateur baseball player in the U.S, but was not named a finalist. Freeland finished the 2014 season with a 10-2 record, 1.90 ERA and 128 strikeouts to just 13 walks. Those strikeouts rank tied for fourth among all Division I pitchers. He went 6-0 in conference play with a .211 batting average against. Evansville won the Missouri Valley Conference Regular Season Title with a 15-6 record. The Purple Aces went 34-21 overall on the season.
The draft continues tomorrow at 11:00 a.m. MDT with rounds 3-10.