Mariners make 8 selections on day two of 2014 MLB Draft
Mariners select 6 pitchers, one outfielder and one catcher in rounds 3-10 of 2014 MLB Draft.
SEATTLE, Wash. -- Seattle Mariners Director of Amateur Scouting Tom McNamara announced today that the club selected 8 players on the second day of Major League Baseball's First-Year Player Draft. Rounds 3 to 10 were conducted today and the draft will conclude with rounds 11-40 tomorrow. The Mariners have selected 10 players combined in the first two days of the draft.
In the first 10 rounds, the Mariners have selected three outfielders (first three picks), six pitchers (RHP - 3, LHP - 3) and one catcher. Eight of the 10 draft picks have been college selections (1 junior college) and two from high school.
Here is a look at the Mariners first 10 selections in the 2014 Draft:
| RD | PLAYER | POS | B-T | HT | WT | AGE | SCHOOL | HOMETOWN |
| 1 | Alex Jackson | OF | R-R | 6-2 | 215 | 18 | Rancho Bernardo HS | Escondido, CA |
| 2b | Gareth Morgan | OF | R-R | 6-4 | 220 | 18 | Blyth Academy | Toronto, ONT, Canada |
| 3 | Austin Cousino | OF | L-L | 5-10 | 185 | 21 | University of Kentucky | Dublin, OH |
| 4 | Ryan Yarbrough | LHP | L-L | 6-6 | 210 | 22 | Old Dominion University | Lakeland, FL |
| 5 | Dan Altavilla | RHP | R-R | 5-11 | 200 | 21 | Mercyhurst College | Greenock, PA |
| 6 | Lane Ratliff | LHP | L-L | 6-3 | 185 | 19 | Jones County Junior College | Purvis, MS |
| 7 | Taylor Byrd | LHP | L-L | 6-2 | 175 | 21 | Nicholls State University | Petal, MS |
| 8 | Kody Kerski | RHP | R-R | 5-10 | 185 | 22 | Sacred Heart University | Waterbury, CT |
| 9 | Peter Miller | RHP | R-R | 6-1 | 200 | 22 | Florida State University | Lutz, FL |
| 10 | Adam Martin | C | R-R | 6-2 | 230 | 22 | Western Carolina University | Marietta, GA |
2b = Competitive Balance B Pick (end of 2nd round)
The Mariners selected center fielder Austin Cousino (KOO-zin-oh) out of the University of Kentucky with their 3rd-round pick (No. 80 overall). Cousino batted .308 (81x263) with 23 extra-base hits (2B - 15, 3B - 4, HR - 4) and 38 RBI in 61 games for the Wildcats. The speedy center fielder was also 19-for-20 in stolen bases. In the outfield he recorded 17 career outfield assists (8 as a junior), was a three-time SEC All-Defensive Team selection and was awarded a Rawlings® Gold Glove in 2013. In three seasons in Lexington, Cousino batted .295 (216x732) with 47 doubles, 7 triples, 19 home runs, 106 RBI and 48 stolen bases in 178 games. He was named the SEC Freshman of the Year in 2012 after batting .319 (83x260) with 31 extra-base hits and 15 stolen bases. Cousino also played two summers with the USA Baseball National Team (2012-2013), combining to bat .301 (31x103).
Left-handed pitcher Ryan Yarbrough (yarr-bro) out of Old Dominion University was the Mariners 4th-round selection (No. 111 overall). The 6-foot-6, 210-pound left-hander pitched two seasons at ODU, after transferring from Santa Fe College in Gainesville, FL. Yarbrough went 6-7 with a 4.50 ERA (43 ER, 86.0 IP) and 64 strikeouts in 18 G/14 GS during his senior season in 2014. He recorded four starts of 7.0 or more innings while not allowing a walk. He was selected in the 20th round of the 2013 MLB Draft by Milwaukee, but returned to ODU for his senior season.
Right-handed pitcher Dan Altavilla (alt-uh-villa) out of Mercyhurst College was selected in the 5th round (No. 141 overall). Altavilla was named the 2014 ABCA/Rawlings Division II National Pitcher of the Year and captured the inaugural Brett Tomko Award as Division II's most outstanding pitcher. During his junior season he went 9-1 with a 1.23 ERA (11 ER, 80.1 IP) in 12 starts and recorded 5 shutouts. The right-hander struck out a school-record 129 batters, including 9 starts where he struck out 10 or more batters, including a 19-strikeout performance May 1 vs. West Chester (7.2 innings).
Left-handed pitcher Lane Ratliff out of Jones County Junior College (MS) was selected in the 6th round (No. 171 overall). Ratliff went 8-3 with a 3.08 ERA and 89 strikeouts in 13 starts as a freshman at Jones County.
With the 7th-round selection (No. 201 overall) the Mariners took left-handed pitcher Taylor Byrd out of Nicholls State University (LA). The senior left-hander went 8-3 with a 1.92 ERA (19 ER, 89.0 IP) in 14 starts this season. He was named the 2014 Southland Conference Pitcher of the Year, ranking 2nd in the league in ERA and strikeouts (80). He is a native of Petal, MS and played two seasons at Pearl River Community College.
Right-handed pitcher Cody Kerski out of Sacred Heart University (CT) was the Mariners 8th-round selection (No. 231 overall). Kerski went 7-3 with a 2.42 ERA (23 ER, 85.2 IP) and one complete game in 13 starts as a senior in 2014. He struck out 74 batters (7.77 K/9.0 IP) and recorded a 0.98 WHIP. He was named second-team All-Northeast Conference and was twice selected as a NEC Pitcher of the Week. In four seasons with the Pioneers he combined to go 20-13 with a 3.70 ERA. He pitched for Yarmouth-Dennis in the Cape Cod League in the summer of 2013, going 3-3, 2.08 ERA.
Right-handed pitcher Peter Miller out of Florida State University was the Mariners 9th-round pick (No. 261 overall). Miller appeared in 17 games (7 starts) for the Seminoles during his senior season in 2014, going 3-4 with one save and a 5.14 ERA. He was a 16th-round selection by the Dodgers in the 2013 Draft, but returned to FSU for his senior season, and a 38th-round selection in 2010 out of Cambridge Christian High School (Lutz, FL).
The Mariners tabbed catcher Adam Martin out of Western Carolina University with their final section on the second day of the draft (No. 291 overall). Martin was named first-team All-Southern Conference after batting .307 (62x202) with 10 doubles, 14 home runs and 65 RBI in 54 games. He played in 54 of WCU's 55 games as a senior in 2014, making 33 starts behind the plate and 18 in the outfield. Martin hit 34 home runs in his four seasons with the Catamounts, tied for 12th-best in school history. He is a product of Harrison High School in Kennesaw, GA, where current Mariners minor leaguer Jamal Austin (AA Jackson) and Major Leaguers Eric Patterson and Corey Patterson attended.
The Mariners made two selections during the first day of the draft, prep outfielders Alex Jackson (No. 6 overall) and Gareth Morgan (No. 74 overall). Jackson hit .400 (40x100) with a 1.459 OPS and 45 runs scored, 7 doubles, 4 triples, 11 home runs, 31 RBI in 35 games during his senior season at Rancho Bernardo High School. In four prep seasons he combined to bat .375 (150x400) with 156 runs scored, 35 doubles, 6 triples, 47 home runs and 127 RBI in 135 games with the Broncos (primarily as catcher). His 47 prep career home runs tied him with former Indians prospect Johnny Drennen (2002-05) for the all-time San Diego section record. Morgan has been a member of the Canadian Junior National Team since he was 14, and also played with the Langley Blaze travel team with current Mariners minor leaguers Tyler O'Neill and Lachlan Fontaine.
The 2014 Draft concludes tomorrow with rounds 11-14, beginning at 10:05 am PT. On Twitter, the official Draft Twitter account, @MLBDraft, will provide up-to-the-moment updates and commentary while @MLBDraftTracker will tweet all picks as they are made
For more information, please contact the Seattle Mariners baseball information department at (206) 346-4000. More information on the 2014 MLB Draft is available online at mlb.mlb.com/Draft. All Mariners news releases, game notes, statistics and multimedia files are also available by visiting the Mariners Virtual Press Box at www.MarinersMedia.com.