MLB completes first day of 2014 Draft
Astros select Aiken first overall; Five players in attendance taken in first round; Record-tying 20 pitchers selected in opening round
Major League Baseball has completed the first day of the 2014 Draft, which aired live on MLB Network and MLB.com this evening from Studio 42 at MLB Network in Secaucus, New Jersey. In total, 74 players were selected during Round 1, Competitive Balance Round A, Round 2 and Competitive Balance Round B.
The Houston Astros selected Cathedral Catholic H.S. (CA) left-handed pitcher Brady Aiken with the first overall pick in the Draft. Aiken becomes the fifth left-handed pitcher chosen with the top selection, joining David Clyde (1973, TEX), Floyd Bannister (1976, HOU), Brien Taylor (1991, NYY) and David Price (2007, TB).
Six players who were in attendance at Studio 42 were selected in the opening round, including shortstop Nick Gordon, who was drafted out of Olympia High School in Florida by the Minnesota Twins with the fifth overall selection. The others included Waiakea H.S. (HI) left-handed pitcher Kodi Medeiros (12th overall, MIL); Conway H.S. (SC) right-handed pitcher Grant Holmes (22nd overall, LAD); Elk Grove H.S. (CA) outfielder Derek Hill (23rd overall, DET); and Sprayberry Senior H.S. (GA) shortstop Michael Chavis (26th overall, BOS).
Gordon followed in the footsteps of his father, Tom, who was drafted by the Kansas City Royals in the sixth round of the 1986 Draft, and his brother, Dee, who was drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the fourth round of the 2008 Draft.
Medeiros became the third player from Hawaii, and the first high schooler, to be drafted in the first round of the June Draft. The others include right-handed pitcher Mike Campbell (7th overall, 1985, SEA), right-handed pitcher Mark Johnson (19th overall, 1996, HOU) and second baseman Kolten Wong (22nd overall, 2011, STL), all of whom attended the University of Hawaii at Manoa.
Two additional players in attendance were also selected tonight, including Clovis H.S. (CA) shortstop Jacob Gatewood (41st overall, MIL) and Lee's Summit West H.S. (MO) outfielder Monte Harrison (50th overall, MIL).
A record-tying 20 pitchers, including 12 right-handers and eight left-handers, were selected in the first round of the Draft, the most among all positions. Other players taken in the opening round featured five outfielders, five shortstops, two catchers, one first baseman and one third baseman. This year marked the fourth time that at least 20 pitchers were selected in the first round, joining 1993, 1999 and 2001. It was also the fourth consecutive Draft that at least five shortstops were selected in the opening round.
Wichita State University first baseman Casey Gillaspie (20th overall, TB), the younger brother of Chicago White Sox infielder Conor Gillaspie, was the only first baseman selected in the first round. Cal State Fullerton third baseman Matt Chapman (25th overall, OAK) was the lone third baseman chosen in the opening round. This was the sixth consecutive year that no more than one first baseman was taken in the first round, while it marked the third time in four years (except 2013) that no more than one third baseman was selected in the opening round.
Marcus Wilson, an outfielder out of Junipero Serra H.S. (CA), was selected by the Arizona Diamondbacks with the 70th overall selection. Wilson is an alumnus of the MLB Urban Youth Academy in Compton, and was also a member of the Venice Boys & Girls Club RBI program.
A total of 18 players were chosen from college, while the other 16 players selected in the first round came from the high school ranks. The state of California produced eight players selected in the first round, while Florida had five and Texas had three. For the 12th time in the last 13 years, at least one pair of teammates (college or high school) was selected in the first round when left-handed pitcher Carlos Rodon (3rd overall, CWS) and shortstop Trea Turner (13th overall, SD) were selected out of North Carolina State University.
The First-Year Player Draft is scheduled to continue on Friday via conference call beginning with the third round at 1:05 p.m. (EDT) and is scheduled to go through the 10th round. The Draft will resume on Saturday beginning with the 11th round at 1:05 p.m. (EDT). The Draft will have 40 rounds and a Club may pass on its selection in any round and not forfeit its right to participate in other rounds.
MLB.com will begin its exclusive live programming of the Draft's final two days with a live draft show from its New York studios at 12:30 p.m. (ET) tomorrow, followed by a live pick-by-pick stream and draft and scouting expert commentary from Jonathan Mayo and Jim Callis. It also will provide Draft Tracker, a live interactive application that includes a searchable database of more than 1,500 draft-eligible players with statistics, scouting reports and video highlights. 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.
The 2014 MLB Draft is supported by T-Mobile, the official wireless telecommunications sponsor of MLB, and The Topps Company, the exclusive trading card licensee of MLB.
Click here for a complete list of each choice made thus far in the 2014 MLB Draft.