The third and final day of the MLB draft on Wednesday started in Round 11 and ended in Round 40 after the Chicago Cubs selected pitcher Jeffrey Passantino of Lipscomb University with the 1,215th pick. Not all of those players taken will turn pro; many will go to college. Many in this stage in the draft will merely serve as organizational players to fill out rosters in the minors. Some selections in these rounds are high schoolers with some upside that teams will try to buy out from their college commitments.
These are also the rounds when a scouting staff can really earn its pay. Just look at the Cleveland Indians, last year's AL champs. In 2011, Cody Allen was a 23rd-round pick out of High Point University. The Indians moved him to the bullpen, his stuff ramped up, and he was in the majors a year later. Starter Josh Tomlin was a 19th-round pick out of Texas Tech. Catcher Roberto Perez was a 33rd-round pick out of a Florida junior college. Ryan Merritt, who threw 4 â…“ scoreless innings in his ALCS start, was a 16th-round pick out of McLennan Community College in Waco, Texas. There is talent out there in the later rounds; you just have to find it.
Maybe Chris Singleton will become one of those late-round success stories. The Cubs took the outfielder from Charleston Southern in the 19th round after he hit .276 with four home runs and 18 steals. His numbers tailed off a bit from his sophomore season, but that's somewhat understandable. Singleton's mother, Sharonda Coleman-Singleton, was one of the victims in the 2015 shooting at Emanuel African Methodist Church in Charleston, where she was a pastor. Singleton has since served as the parental figure for his younger siblings, Camryn and Caleb, as he balanced baseball, school and looking over them. E:60 profiled Singleton last year.
Some other third-day happenings:
