Seventh round brings flamethrower Butler

The Padres used their seventh-round pick Friday on University of North Carolina-Charlotte right-handed pitcher Ryan Butler.

Butler, the 207th overall selection in the First-Year Player Draft, had a 3.47 ERA in 13 games, all starts, for the 49ers. He struck out 49 in 83 innings and allowed 91 hits.

Butler, who stands at 6-foot-6, was selected in the 13th round of the 2013 Draft by the Yankees, but he chose not to sign. His fastball touched 97 mph in a pre-draft workout for the Yanks.

Charlotte was Butler's third school after attending Marshall, and later Northwest Florida State. This past season, Butler threw two complete games.

Butler's strength is his velocity, and he consistently works at 91-95 mph deep into games and has topped out at 99 mph. His father, Michael, reached Triple-A as a left-handed pitcher in the Angels' system.

The Draft concludes on Saturday, with exclusive coverage of Rounds 11-40 beginning on MLB.com at 10 a.m. PT.