Blue Jays pick Division II 2B Metzler in ninth round
The Blue Jays selected college second baseman Ryan Metzler with their ninth-round pick of the 2014 First-Year Player Draft on Friday.
Metzler hit .365 with four homers, 42 RBIs, 42 runs and 16 stolen bases in 53 games this season for the University of South Carolina Aiken. Last year, he was named to the Daktronics NCAA Division II All-Southeast Region First Team.
The 21-year-old is 6-foot-3 and 190 pounds. The junior became the sixth college player taken by the Blue Jays in the Draft. He likely should be another relatively easy sign as Toronto continues to maintain some flexibility with its overall bonus pool of $9,458,500.
The Draft concludes on Saturday, with exclusive coverage of Rounds 11-40 beginning on MLB.com at 1 p.m. ET.
The recommended slot value for pick No. 264 is $149,300. Metzler previously attended Siena College before transferring to South Carolina-Aiken prior to the 2013 season.
Metzler had a strong finish to his college season. In April, he picked up player of the week honors in the Peach Belt Conference by going 12-for-17 (.706) in four games. Metzler also was recently named to the NCAA Division II Southeast Region all-tournament team.
The native of Glen Burnie, Md., hit .333 with a double and three RBIs in two games at the regional tournament.