Two locals go undrafted, eye CCSN
Instead of a large signing bonus and lofty draft status, Bishop Gorman senior Taylor Cole is looking at playing baseball for the Community College of Southern Nevada next season.
It appears he might be joined by Colby Shreve, a freshman who is leaning toward returning to CCSN.
Cole and Shreve, the top prospects in Las Vegas, were not selected in the first five rounds of the major league draft Thursday.
Coyotes coach Tim Chambers said teams contacted the players but apparently could not negotiate a deal.
"I talked to both of them," Chambers said. "Colby said, ‘Coach, it looks like I’m coming back,’ and Taylor said, ‘I can’t wait to get there.’ "
Baseball America ranks Cole, who signed with Brigham Young and CCSN, as a top-100 prospect. As a pitcher and shortstop, he helped the Gaels win their second consecutive Class 4A state title.
A 6-foot-1-inch right-hander, Cole went 6-1 with a 2.49 ERA this past season. He also batted .467 with five home runs and 52 RBIs but is considered more valuable as a pitcher at the pro level.
The 6-4 Shreve, a right-hander from Bonanza High, went 5-2 with a 2.78 ERA in his first season with the Coyotes.
Both players possibly could be picked today, when the final 45 rounds are held. This year’s baseball draft is more unpredictable than most, however.
The draft-and-follow rule, which allowed teams to maintain exclusive signing rights to a player until a week before the following year’s draft, no longer is in place.
Teams might opt to pass in some of today’s late rounds instead of selecting and evaluating a player before signing him.
UNLV has three juniors waiting to be picked in pitchers Craig Heyer and Kevin Skogley and first baseman Efren Navarro Jr. The Los Angeles Angels selected Skogley in the 30th round last year.
BYU senior right-hander Jesse Craig, a Basic High product, also expects to be called.