Baseball Holds On to Three MLB Draft Picks

MALIBU, Calif. Â Four Pepperdine baseball players had until late Friday night to decide whether to sign a professional contract or attend school and play collegiately, and the good news for the Waves is that three will be suiting up for the team in 2009.

The only one that signed wasn’t a huge surprise, as RHP Brett Hunter (Moorpark, Calif,/Moorpark HS, a seventh-round selection of the Oakland Athletics, inked a deal worth a reported $1.1 million. Hunter was expected to be a first-round pick in the spring, but he missed most of his 2008 junior season due to injury. He pitched well this summer for a collegiate USA Baseball squad and agreed on a contract offer not long before Friday’s deadline. Baseball America reported that it is the largest contact ever given to a seventh-round selection.

“Going into the year we knew Brett was going to be a high-profile pitcher,” Pepperdine Coach Steve Rodriguez said. “But after his second start and he developed this injury and some blister issues, it became worrisome to see what his future would be. But slowly and surely he got better and was given a clean bill of health. It was great to see him get drafted and for the A’s to pay him appropriately like a first-round pick. I’m very happy for him and his family. It’s great for the program because it shows that we develop our players like you’re supposed to. It’s great for him to start his professional career.”

RHP Nathan Newman (Houston, Texas/Grayson CC) was a 10th-round selection by the Seattle Mariners but he maintained all summer that he would return for his senior season, which proved to be true. He was a 2008 All-WCC first teamer in his first year at Pepperdine and went 8-4 with a 3.46 ERA and 70 strikeouts over 93.2 innings.

Two incoming freshmen Â OF Brian Humphries (El Cajon, Calif./Granite Hills HS) and OF/LHP Aaron Gates (Villa Park, Calif./Orange Lutheran HS) Â decided to spend at least the next three years at Pepperdine instead of signing a professional contract. Humphries was a 19th-round selection of the Boston Red Sox and Gates was a 34th-round pick of the Colorado Rockies.

“Nate was our Friday starter last year and his return means we have our entire weekend staff coming back,” Rodriguez said. “Aaron was offered fifth-round money but turned it down. He’ll be a great addition to our pitching staff. I’m very excited about Brian coming into the program because he could develop into one of the top picks in the country in the next three years. Overall, things are looking very good for our program and the future of Waves baseball.”

Two members of the 2008 Waves had already signed professional contracts. INF Chase D’Arnaud (Long Beach, Calif./Los Alamitos HS) was a junior who was taken by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the fourth round. OF Eric Thames (San Jose, Calif./West Valley JC), the WCC Player of the Year, left after his junior season after being picked by the Toronto Blue Jays in the seventh round.

Even without the juniors that signed pro contracts, the Waves are expected to have a strong team in 2009. Last season, Pepperdine finished 38-21 overall, took second place in the West Coast Conference, was ranked #19 by Rivals.com and reached the final game of the Stanford Regional. Rivals.com had projected earlier this summer that Pepperdine would be one of eight teams to get to Omaha and the College World Series in 2009.

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