Frontier League Drafts Record 45 Players
The MLB season is over a month old, and that can mean only one thing: Indie baseball is on deck.ย
The college baseball season is winding down, and those seniors who are likely to go undrafted in the MLB Draft or those looking to hold out for better deals are right in the middle of an independent signing frenzy.ย
With tryouts coming to a close and with many getting their first opportunity at professional baseball, this is a very exciting time.ย
The Frontier League completed their record-breaking day May 1, drafting a total of 45 players. Mike Lee, who was chosen first overall by the Rockford RiverHawks, was an eighth-round draft pick of the Boston Red Sox in the 2008 MLB June Amateur Draft.ย
Lee spent four years in the Sox organization with his best season coming in 2010, where he went 9-7. Over that four-year period, Lee recorded 254 strikeouts in 294 innings. He went 13-18 in 84 games with a 4.77 ERA.ย
You never know who is watching in the stands, and just when you think youโve thrown your last pitch or swung at that last strike, the tables turn. What may seem like the end of the road may be the beginning, and in the case of Mike Lee, this stint with Washington might get him back to where he started, and where all aspiring players strive to get to.ย
The complete list of draft picks courtesy of The Frontier League:
First Round
Mike Lee โ RHP โ Rockford RiverHawks
Andres Caceres โ LHP โ Florence Freedom
Nick Farnsworth โ 1B โ Evansville Otters
Jose Rodriguez โ LHP โ Schaumburg Boomers
Jonathan Gonzalez โ RHP โ Gateway Grizzlies
Michael Miller โ OF โ Washington Wild Things
Brendon Smith โ RHP โ Normal CornBelters
Ricky Szeligo โ RHP โ Windy City ThunderBolts
Jason Mattila โ RHP โ Traverse City Beach Bums
Ben Klafczynski โ RHP โ Lake Erie Crushers
Charles Wooten โ RHP โ London Rippers
Josh Cruse โ RHP โ River City Rascals
Juan Reyes โ C โ Washington Wild Things
Dan Lazzaroni โ RHP โ River City Rascals
Second round
Nick Rice โ LHP โ Rockford RiverHawks
Robert Simone โ RHP โ Lake Erie Crushers
Lucas Shaw โ C โ Evansville Otters
Sean Mahley โ OF โ Schaumburg Boomers
Blair Springfield โ 2B โ Gateway Grizzlies
Zach Deutscher โ C โ River City Rascals
Ryan Krumlauf โ RHP โ Normal CornBelters
Jorge Navarrete โ LHP โ Windy City ThunderBolts
Albert Gonzalez โ SS โ Traverse City Beach Bums
Mike Inselmann โ RHP โ Lake Erie Crushers
Andrew Chilcoat โ RHP โ London Rippers
Kyle Zimmerman โ 2B โ Joliet Slammers
Matthew Soderlund โ C โ Southern Illinois Miners
Aaron Oliver โ SS โ River City Rascals
ย
Third round
Rafael Ortega โ SS โ Florence Freedom
Chad Mozingo โ OF โ Schaumburg Boomers
Justin Dunning โ C โ Gateway Grizzlies
Eric Curtis โ C โ Washington Wild Things
Elio Briones โ RHP โ Normal CornBelters
Felix Marte โ 2B โ Traverse City Beach Bums
Brandon Fowler โ C โ London Rippers
Anthony Amedei โ 2B โ Joliet Slammers
Blake Whitt โ C โ Southern Illinois Miners
R.J. Gundolff โ 2B โ River City Rascals
Fourth and subsequent rounds
Matt Kline โ RHP โ Florence Freedom
David Casey โ 1B โ Washington Wild Things
David Triplet โ RHP โ London Rippers
Ryan Thomas โ RHP โ Washington Wild Things
Philip Roscoe โ C โ London Rippers
David Jensen โ LHP โ Washington Wild Things
Doc Nieman โ C โ Washington Wild Things
Devon is the Founder and Executive Director of The GM's Perspective. He is a former professional baseball player with the River City Rascals & Gateway Grizzlies. Currently, Devon is a manager at a financial institution in Northern Ontario Canada, and can be reached at devon@thegmsperspective.com. You can follow The GM's Perspective on Twitter and Facebook. His full bio can be seen here.
**Devon is available for hire or freelance opportunities**ย






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