Three more Georgia Tech baseball players were selected in the major league baseball draft Saturday — right-handed pitchers Brandon Gold and Matthew Gorst and catcher Arden Pabst. All three were taken in the 12th round within 26 picks of each other.
Colorado took Gold, who was 9-3 with a 2.48 ERA this season, with the 350th overall pick. Boston followed by nabbing Gorst, who set Tech’s single-season ERA record this season with a 0.55 ERA, with the 358th pick. Pittsburgh followed with the 375th pick to take Pabst, who has been the Yellow Jackets’ primary catcher for the past three seasons.
They followed Tech shortstop Connor Justus and outfielder Matt Gonzalez, who were taken by the Los Angeles Angels in the fifth round and the Braves in the sixth, respectively. Also, signee Taylor Trammell, an outfielder from Mount Paran Christian, was drafted No. 35 on Thursday, in Lottery Round A, by the Reds.
If last year’s 12th round is any indication, it’s highly likely that all three Tech players will not be returning. Last year, all 30 players drafted in that round ended up signing, according to Baseball America. Of the 25 players whose signing bonuses were reported by Baseball America, 22 were between $100,000 and $200,000.
The selection of the five Jackets is in line with Tech’s recent draft history, last year’s two-player draft aside. Between the 2001 and 2014 drafts, Tech had between four and 10 players selected each year.
Tech outfielder Kel Johnson, who was a first-team All-ACC pick and tied for the team high with 11 home runs and 54 RBI, was not selected in the 40-round draft, assuring his return for his junior season. Sophomores are typically not eligible for the draft, but rules stipulate that a player turning 21 within 45 days of the draft is eligible, which is the case with Johnson.
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