D-backs make 7 selections on first day of Major League Baseball's 2019 Draft

June 4th, 2019

PHOENIX — The Arizona Diamondbacks (@Dbacks) made 7 selections on the first day of Major League Baseball’s First-Year Player draft.

With the 16th overall pick, the D-backs selected OF Corbin Carroll (@corbin_carroll) from Lakeside (Wash.) High School. Carroll, 18, was named Washington’s Gatorade State Player of the Year for 2018-19 after he hit .540 /.663 OBP/1.206 SLG/1.869 OPS with 9 home runs, 26 RBI, 19 extra-base hits, 22 walks, 11 steals and 38 runs scored in 23 games for the Lions. As a 4-year starter at Lakeside, he batted .450 with 22 home runs and 101 RBI.

He is 1 of 10 players from Washington in the last 20 years to be selected within the first 20 picks of the draft and the first since the Mets selected OF Michael Conforto (Redmond) at 10th overall in 2014. Entering the draft, he was rated by Baseball America as the Best Defensive Outfielder and as possessing the Best Strike Zone Judgement among 2019 draft prospects, as well as being the second Best Hitter in the class.

A native of Seattle, Carroll was named the Most Valuable Player of the 2018 Perfect Game All-American Classic at Petco Park after going 1-for-1 with a triple and 2 walks. He also played in 8 games for the United States National Team at the 2018 18U Pan-American Championships in Panama, batting .500 (15-for-30) with 3 home runs 15 RBI, 9 stolen bases and 17 runs scored, helping lead Team USA to its fifth consecutive gold medal.

The 5-foot-11, 161-pounder both bats and throws left-handed, and is committed to attending UCLA.

With the 26th overall pick, Arizona selected LHP Blake Walston from New Hanover (N.C.) High School. Walston, 17, was named North Carolina’s 2019 Gatorade State Player of the Year, after going 12-0 with a 0.20 ERA (2 ER in 68.2 IP), .102 opponent average, 129 strikeouts and 18 walks in 12 starts, helping lead the Wildcats to the North Carolina 3A state title. At the plate, he hit .405 (32-for-79) with 5 doubles, 1 triple, 18 RBI, 12 walks and 25 runs scored.

In 3 seasons for New Hanover, he went 34-2 with a 0.89 ERA (29 ER in 227.0 IP), .137 opponent average, 355 strikeouts and 87 walks in 36 starts.

The 6-foot-5, 175-pounder is committed to attending North Carolina State University.

With the 33rd overall pick, the D-backs selected RHP Brennan Malone (@BrennanRMalone) from IMG Academy (Fla.). Malone, 18, went 11-0 with a 0.27 ERA (2 ER in 51.0 IP), .132 opponent average, 69 strikeouts and 14 walks in 11 starts as a senior in 2019. Prior to transferring to IMG, he attended Porter Ridge (N.C.) High School, where he was 3-4 with a 1.36 ERA (10 ER in 51.1 IP), .131 opponents average, 76 strikeouts and 17 walks in 11 games as a junior in 2017-18.

Malone pitched in 3 games for the United States National Team at the 2018 18U Pan-American Championships in Panama, going 2-0 with a 1.08 ERA (1 ER in 8.1 IP) and 9 strikeouts, helping lead Team USA to its fifth consecutive gold medal. The Matthews, N.C., native also pitched in the 2018 Perfect Game All-American Classic at Petco Park, recording a pair of strikeouts in an inning of work.

The 6-foot-4, 205-pounder is committed to attend the University of North Carolina.

With the 34th overall pick, Arizona selected RHP Drey Jameson (@dreyjameson09) from Ball State University. Jameson, 21, was named the Mid-American Conference Pitcher of the Year and Collegiate Baseball Second Team All-American as a sophomore in 2019 after he went 6-4 with a 3.24 ERA (33 ER in 91.2 IP), .219 opponent average, 146 strikeouts and 32 walks in 16 starts. He set the conference record for strikeouts and ranked third in the nation, and set a school record with 14.66 strikeouts per 9.0 IP, which ranked fifth in the country.

As a freshman in 2018, Jameson earned MAC Freshman of the Year honors and was a Collegiate Baseball Freshman All-American after he went 7-2 with a 3.88 ERA (31 ER in 72.0 IP), 97 strikeouts and 44 walks in 18 games (12 starts).

A native of Greenfield, Ind., the 6-0, 165-pounder attended Greenfield Central High School, where he was the 2017 Indiana State Player of the Year as a senior.

With the 56th overall pick, the D-backs selected RHP Ryne Nelson (@ry_nelly29) from the University of Oregon. Nelson, 21, went 3-4 with 4 saves, a 4.29 ERA (31 ER in 65.0 IP), .239 opponent average, 104 strikeouts and 41 walks in 23 games (4 starts) as a junior for the Ducks in 2019. A first-team All-Pac-12 selection, Nelson led the conference in strikeouts and finished fourth in the nation with 14.40 strikeouts per 9.0 IP. He also entered the season tabbed by Baseball America as a second-team preseason All-American.

In 3 seasons at Oregon, Nelson went 6-6 with 8 saves, a 4.25 ERA (48 ER in 101.2 IP). .246 opponents average, 158 strikeouts and 60 walks in 48 games (5 starts). The 6-foot-4, 175-pounder is a native of Henderson, Nev., and attended Basic High School, who he helped lead to a Division I state championship as a senior in 2016.

With the 74th overall pick, Arizona selected LHP Tommy Henry from the University of Michigan**.** Henry, 21, has gone 9-5 with a 3.61 ERA (40 ER in 99.2 IP), .228 opponent average, 111 strikeouts and 25 walks in 17 games (16 starts) as a junior for the Wolverines this season. Michigan will play in a NCAA Super Regional in Los Angeles starting on June 7.

A Perfect Game midseason first-team All-American in 2019, Henry was 19-9 with a 3.35 ERA (79 ER in 212.1 IP), .236 opponent average, 227 strikeouts and 62 walks in 53 games (31 starts) in 3 seasons at Michigan.

The 6-foot-3, 205-pounder attended Portage Northern (Mich.) High School, where he Michigan’s Mr. Baseball and Gatorade Player of the Year as a senior in 2016.

With the 75th overall pick, the D-backs selected OF Dominic Fletcher (@DomFletch15) out of the University of Arkansas. As a junior for the Razorbacks in 2019, Fletcher hit .312 (77-for-247)/.378 OBP/522 SLG with 22 doubles, 10 home runs, 56 RBI, 24 walks and 51 runs scored in 61 games. He was named to the All-Southeastern Conference second-team as and to the SEC All-Defensive team for the second consecutive year. Arkansas will host Ole Miss in a NCAA Super Regional on June 7.

Fletcher was a member of Arkansas’ national runner-up team as a sophomore in 2018, batting .346 with 2 home runs and 8 RBI in 6 games during the College World Series, including going 8-for-14 (.571) in his first 3 contests.

The 5-foot-10, 185-pounder is a native of Cypress, Calif. His brother, David, plays infield for the Angels.