St. Louis Cardinals: 2014 MLB Draft Day 3

The third and final day of the 2014 MLB Draft saw the St. Louis Cardinals making their selections during the 11th through 40th rounds of the draft.

Overall, the Cardinals drafted 42 players including 23 pitchers (20 RHP, 3 LHP), 11 infielders, five outfielders and three catchers. Thee Cardinals drafted 33 college players to nine high school athletes.

Reviewing the Brew

Round 11, Pick 345 Justin Bellinger, 1B, St. Sebastian’s School (MA)

Round 12, Pick 375 Jordan DeLorenzo, LHP, West Florida
DeLorenzo was named as the NCBWA National Pitcher of the Year and an ABCA Division II first team all-American. This past season DeLorenzo posted a 11-1 record with a 0.93 ERA. He completed seven of 12 starts, including four shutouts. In 87 innings, he struck out 78 while walking 20 batters.

Round 13, Pick 405 Matt Pearce, RHP, Polk State College

Round 14, Pick 435 Christopher Shaw, C, Midland College
Shaw was named to the NJCAA First Team and WJCAC all-Conference team.

“He is a great player and even better person,” said Midland coach David Coleman. “He will be successful with whatever path he chooses.”

Round 15, Pick 465 Matt Ditman, RHP, Rice
After serving as the bullpen catcher in 2012, Ditman made the transition to pitcher in 2013. Ditman emerged as a break-through pitcher this season as he took over as the team’s closer. He led Conference USA in saves (9) and ERA (1.83). Ditman averaged 2.1 innings in his 24 relief appearances.

Round 16, Pick 495 Tristan Hildebrandt, SS, Esperanza HS (CS)

Round 17, Pick 525 Dustin Beggs, RHP, Georgia Perimeter College
“Dustin put together a great season in which he led the country in strikeouts,” said GPC coach Brett Campbell. “He was our number 1 and won about very big game we put him in. He has a low 90’s fastball that he can sink and two great breaking balls that he can use any count. He pounds the zone and doesn’t walk people. The thing about Dustin is that he will only continue to get better. His velocity has improved each year. He was 84-85 when he arrived at gpc and now touches 92. Once he gets stronger I think he will be 91-94 with some serious pitchabilty. He is 6’4 so he has the prototypical pitchers frame. He is going to be special and the Cardinals got a good one.”

Round 18, Pick 555 Blake Drake, CF, Concordia
“Blake is a fantastic young man and an extremely talented baseball player, the Concordia family is thrilled to see him go to the Cardinals in the 18th round!” said Coach Robert Vance. “This outstanding for Blake and for our program! We wish him the best!”

Round 19, Pick 585 Dominic Thompson-Williams, CF, Iowa Western CC
“Proud for Dom to be selected today in MLB draft,” Iowa Western coach Marc Rardin said. “He has come along ways in 1 school year from when he arrived here in the Fall. His better days are still ahead of him as he continues to play.”

Round 20, Pick 615 Collin Radack, CF, Hendrix College
Radack was named as the 2014 Southern Athletic Association Man of the Year and Player of the Year. He set school records in games played, started, at bats, runs, hits, triples, intentional walks (12), stolen bases and fielding percentage and tied for first in total bases.

“We are thrilled for Collin to begin his professional baseball career with St. Louis,” said Hendrix head baseball coach Neil Groat. “During his time at Hendrix he has excelled in all aspects of college life and has truly earned this opportunity.”

Round 21, Pick 645 Casey Grayson, 1B, Houston

Round 22, Pick 675 Derek Casey, RHP, Hanover HS (VA)

Round 23, Pick 705 Joe Gillette, 3B, Scotts Valley HS (CA)
“Pleased and excited for Joe!” said Scotts Valley coach Rick Erlin, a lifelong Cardinals fan. “He’s a solid ballplayer with a lot of upside. Tremendous work ethic and a great person.”

Round 24, Pick 735 Casey Turgeon, 2B, Florida
Turgeon led the Florida Gators this season with 35 walks while ranking second in runs (36), RBI (33), doubles (11) and homers (4).

Round 25, Pick 765 Landon Beck, RHP, Anderson University
“We are excited about Landon being drafted by the Cardinals,” Anderson coach Joe Miller said. “The success the Cardinals have had drafting and developing pitchers should make any pitcher selected by the Cardinals excited to start their professional career with the Red Birds.”

Round 26, Pick 795 Tyler Bray, RHP, Louisiana – Monroe
“He has a bulldog mentality and wants the ball in the big games,” Coach Bruce Peddie said. “Terrific teammate with a bright future as he fills out his lean body.”

Round 27, Pick 825 Cole Lankford, C, Texas A&M

Round 28, Pick 855 Tyler Dunnington, RHP, Colorado Mesa University

Round 29, Pick 885 Bryan Dobzanski, RHP, Delsea Reg HS (NJ)

Round 30, Pick 915 Josh Wirsu, RHP, Georgia Southern
Wirsu was the Southern Conference Pitcher of the Year. As a part of the rotation this season, he finished the year with a 9-3 record and a 2.44 ERA. In 16 starts, the junior struck out 90 batters over 96 innings, allowing 75 hits.

Round 31, Pick 945 Julian Barzilli, 3B, Whittier College
Barzilli was named the ABCA All-West Region Player of the Year while leading Division 3 in home runs (17).

“Julian Barzilli was the most prolific power hitter in Division III in 2014!” Whittier coach Mike Rizzo said. “His 17 home runs led the nation and he is a plus defender at third base. He is a tremendous leader and I’m excited for him as he begins his professional career with the St. Louis Cardinals organization!”

Round 32, Pick 975 Anthony Herron, Jr., RHP, Affton HS (MO)
“I can tell you that the Affton Baseball Program AND the Affton Community are very proud of Anthony’s accomplishments!” Affton coach Rob Uthoff said. “This young man breathes baseball and him being drafted couldn’t have happened to a more wonderful kid. Anthony’s work has truly paid off.”

Round 33, Pick 1005 Dominic Moreno, RHP, Texas Tech
“Dom has been a big part of what we have accomplished here the past two seasons,” said Texas Tech coach Tim Tadlock. “He is a team guy and someone we have used as a Friday-night guy and also recently out of the bullpen. He has been productive for us in both roles.”

Round 34, Pick 1035 George Iskenderian, SS, Indian River State

Round 35, Pick 1065 Michael Bono, RHP, Buchanan HS (CA)
“Michael has a plus arm runs it up there in the 88-92 mph range,” said Buchanan coach Tom Donald. “He has an above average curveball and I’ve seen him buckle many hitters with that pitch. It can be devastating at times. The sky is the limit for this young man. He will come out of college a much more polished pitcher and potentially be drafted much higher than where he was this year. Michael’s best days are ahead of him.”

Round 36, Pick 1095 Cody Schumaker, RHP, Missouri State
The Friday night starter posted a 6-2 record with a 2.45 ERA.

“Cody’s strength is his competitiveness,” Missouri State coach Keith Guttin said. “Coming off shoulder surgery last spring, he battled back and had a good year as our Friday guy. With each start, he gradually worked his way back closer to the velocity he had prior to his surgery.”

Round 37, Pick 1125 Chase Raffield, LF, Georgia State
Raffield is the first two-time All-American in GSU baseball history, earning honors in 2013 and 2014. This season, he hit .356 with 14 home runs (seventh in NCAA) and 59 RBI. He finishes as the top all-around hitter in GSU history with a career batting average of .368 (second in school history) and GSU records for slugging percentage (.650), OPS (1.099) and RBI per game (1.02).

“We felt all along that Chase was a pro prospect, and he showed great determination and perseverance to overcome two major knee surgeries,” GSU head coach Greg Frady said.

Round 38, Pick 1155 Sasha Kuebel, LHP, Iowa

Round 39, Pick 1185 Kyle Ruchim, 2B, Northwestern
“I know that I speak for everyone in our program when I say I’m so proud of what Kyle has been able to accomplish,” Northwestern coach Paul Stevens said. “The Cardinals have chosen a young man with incredible ability on the field and tremendous character both on and off the field.”

Round 40, Pick 1215 Davis Ward, RHP, Ouachita Baptist
Ward is a two-time GAC Pitcher of the Year. He finishes his career at QBU tied for first in career wins, first in career complete games and second all-time in strike-outs.

“We are very excited the the cardinals decided to draft Davis,” said OBU coach Jeremy Haworth. “He is a special guy with a good three pitch mix for command. He gets to pursue his dream of playing professionally and with his hard working mentality I know he will get a chance to pitch for a while.”

Redbird Rants will update picks and quotes from coaches throughout the weekend.