Marlins select 40 players in 2015 First-Year Player Draft
Take Canadian First Baseman 12th Overall, but Early Rounds Dominated by Pitching
MIAMI - The Miami Marlins completed the 2015 First-Year Player Draft today, making 30 of their 40 selections this year. The announcements were made by Marlins' Vice President of Scouting Stan Meek.
The Draft began on Monday night with the Club selecting Canadian high school first baseman Josh Naylor (Mississauga, ONT) with the 12th overall pick. Naylor, 17, who played his baseball over the last four years with the Canadian Junior National team and the Ontario Blue Jays amateur baseball program, is the first Canadian player drafted by the Marlins in the first round of the Draft, and the first taken in any round since INF Terrence Dayleg (Surrey, BC) was selected in Round 22 (#668 overall) in 2009.
Naylor played in eight different countries around the globe with the Junior National team, and in the fall of 2013 & 2014 played against Division 1 & 2 colleges in the United States with Ontario, combining to hit .449 (83x185) in 56 games, with 15 home runs and 62 RBI.
Miami made the third day of the Draft a family affair, selecting the sons of two former players. Outfielder Alexander Fernandez (Davie, FL) was drafted in Round 25 (#746) out of Nova Southeastern University; he is the son of former Marlins' pitcher and Miami native Alex Fernandez, who won 28 games for the Fish over three seasons (1997, 1999-2000). In Round 31 (#926), the Club selected outfielder Griffin Conine (Weston, FL) out of Pine Crest School. He is the son of Marlins' Special Assistant Jeff Conine, who won two World Series titles with the Fish and ranks second in Club history in games (1,014) and RBI (553), and third in hits (1,005).
The Marlins selected pitchers with seven of their last nine selections over the first two days of the Draft. The first came in Round 2 (#50 overall) with the selection of LHP Brett Lilek (South Holland, IL) out of Arizona State University. Lilek, who went 4-2, 3.20 in 17 appearances (15 starts) this season as a junior, is a two-time All-Pac 12 honoree, including a first-team selection after his sophomore season (4-5, 2.68).
Outfielder Isaiah White (Wilson, NC), taken in Round 3 (#85) out of the Greenfield School, was the first position player taken by the Marlins. He batted .547 (41x75) in 21 games in his senior year, with 39 runs, 13 doubles, six triples, three home runs, 17 RBI, and 31 steals. White and catcher Justin Cohen (Sarasota, FL) of Riverview High School (Round 6, #176) were the only position players taken by the Marlins in the first two days of the Draft.
In Round 4 (#116 overall) the Marlins selected RHP Cody Poteet (Bonita, CA) from UCLA. Poteet, a junior, posted a 7-1 record with a 2.45 ERA (73.1 ip/20 er) in 27 appearance (13 starts) for the Bruins this season. The Club followed with another college arm in Round 5 (#146), selecting left-hander Justin Jacome (Redlands, CA) out of the University of California-Santa Barbara. Jacome, a junior, went 7-5, 2.70 (116.2/35) in 16 starts this season.
Additional information on the 2015 Marlins is available on the team's official website, www.marlins.com.