Three TSC Baseball Players Selected in MLB Draft
NEW YORK, N.Y. – Three Sun Conference baseball student-athletes were selected in the 2015 Major League Baseball (MLB) First-Year Player Draft this past Wednesday evening. In total, 40 NAIA baseball players were picked by 27 different clubs during the three-day, 40-round event.
Representing the Sun Conference in this year’s MLB draft were St. Thomas’ Jerry Downs and Embry-Riddle’s Tyler Cyr and Zac Grotz.
Jerry Downs was the first position player drafted from the NAIA. The Miami, Fla., native was taken in the 15th round (441st overall) by the Boston Red Sox. Downs, who played a key role in the Bobcats run to the championship game of the 2015 Avista-NAIA Baseball World Series, ranked sixth in the NAIA in runs score (72) and 13th in at-bats (232). A multi-tooled player, Downs ended the season with a .349 batting average, including 56 RBI, 17 doubles, and nine home runs. He also stole a team-best 12 bases and had five outfield assists. Downs becomes the sixth St. Thomas player selected in the Major League Baseball Draft over the past four seasons, joining Joel Capote (Angels, 2012), Dane Stone (Marlins, 2012), Ricky Claudio (Mariners, 2013), Emilio Ogando (Royals, 2014), and Edwin Medina (Astros, 2014).
The San Francisco Giants made Embry-Riddle right-handed pitcher Tyler Cyr their 10th round selection on day two of the MLB Draft, making the Fremont, Calif., native the second-highest drafted Eagle in program history. Cyr, who was the 306th overall selection, had a breakout season as a junior, earning second team All-Sun Conference honors with a 7-5 record and 3.14 ERA over 17 appearances. Cyr tossed two complete games and totaled 86.0 innings of work with 98 strikeouts. Cyr helped the Eagles to the 2015 Sun Conference Tournament title, NAIA National Championship Opening Round - Daytona Beach Bracket crown, and a third-place finish at the Avista-NAIA World Series. Cyr was the fourth NAIA player selected in the draft and was the fourth right-handed pitcher chosen by the defending World Series champion Giants.
Zac Grotz was selected by the Houston Astros with their 28th round pick. Grotz, who was the 829th pick overall, received second team NAIA All-America honors. He went 8-2 with nine saves in a program-record 32 appearances, tossing 77.2 innings while allowing only six earned runs, 12 walks, and one extra-base hit. Grotz started five times and registered two complete games, one of which was a shutout, while striking out 90 batters. A first team All-Sun Conference performer and a Sun Conference All-Tournament team member, Grotz was a two-time TSC Pitcher of the Week. His 0.70 ERA is an ERAU career record while his 10.49 strikeouts per nine innings ranks third all-time. Grotz’s .172 opponent batting average is the second-best mark in Eagle history.
A complete listing of all of this year’s draft picks can be accessed by clicking
here.