Vitek Selected 20th Overall By Boston Red Sox In MLB Draft
June 08, 2010 | Baseball
WATCH KOLBRIN VITEK'S SELECTION COURTESY OF MLB NETWORK
MUNCIE, Ind. - Ball State junior second baseman/right-handed pitcher Kolbrin Vitek (Bryan, Ohio/Bryan) has been drafted by the Boston Red Sox in the first round of the 2010 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft with the 20th overall pick Monday night. Vitek's selection marks the 15th consecutive season that Ball State has had a player drafted and he is the 49th Cardinal selected all-time.
Vitek becomes seventh Ball State player selected in the first round and the highest selected since Brad Snyder was tabbed 18th overall in 2003 by the Cleveland Indians. He is also the first player from the Mid-American Conference to be drafted in the first round since 2006 (Emmanuel Burris, Kent State) and the highest MAC player selected since 2002. His selection marks the second straight year that a Cardinal has been chosen by the Red Sox, joining former standout Jeremy Hazelbaker (fourth round) in the Boston organization.
"What an exciting evening for Kolbrin and his family as well as a proud moment for our Ball State baseball program," head coach Greg Beals said. "All of our players and coaches work hard developing their game and our program. When one of our own gets into this position it is a lot of fun for all of us. This is the first step for Kolbrin in his pursuit of becoming a major league player."
Vitek became the sixth Cardinal all-time to earn MAC Player of the Year honors. He was named First Team All-America by the Collegiate Baseball Newspaper, marking just the fourth Cardinal to achieve that honor. He is also a semifinalist for the 2010 Golden Spikes Award given to the top amateur player in the country and is a member of the John Olerud Two-Way Player Award Watch List.
Vitek, a First Team All-MAC selection, was dominant for the Cardinals at the plate and on the mound this season as he led the Cardinals in batting with a .361 batting average and on the mound with a league-low 3.28 ERA as a weekend starter. He tallied a team-high 83 hits and scored a MAC-best 73 runs this season. He notched 20 doubles and 17 home runs to post a .691 slugging percentage while also stealing 16 bases. He recorded 26 multiple-hit games and 20 multiple-RBI games at the plate.
On the mound, Vitek was one of the most dominant pitchers in the MAC as he had a 3.28 ERA on the year and lowered his ERA to 2.72 in league play. He tossed a team-high 79.2 innings of work and owned a 3-4 record with three saves.
The 2010 MLB Draft will continue Tuesday at noon with the rounds two through 30. Rounds 30-50 will be chosen Wednesday afternoon at noon.
Ball State Major League Baseball Draft Picks
FIRST ROUND DRAFT PICKS
Kolbrin Vitek 2010 (20th pick) Boston Red Sox
Brad Snyder 2003 (18th pick) Cleveland Indians
Bryan Bullington 2002 (1st pick) Pittsburgh Pirates
Luke Hagerty 2002 (32nd pick) Chicago Cubs
Larry Bigbie 1999 (21st pick) Baltimore Orioles
Jeff Urban 1998 (41st pick) San Francisco Giants
Thomas Howard 1986 (11th pick) San Diego Padres
ADDITIONAL DRAFT PICKS
Jeremy Hazelbaker 2009 (4th round) Boston Red Sox
Brenden Stines 2009 (33rd round) Houston Astros
Zach Dygert 2009 (48th round) Washington Nationals
Dean Anna 2008 (26th round) San Diego Padres
Kyle Heyne 2008 (32nd round) San Diego Padres
2007 (27th round) Minnesota Twins
Ben Snyder 2006 (4th round) San Francisco Giants
Brad Miller 2006 (18th round) Arizona Diamondbacks
2004 (49th round) Toronto Blue Jays
Mike Sullivan 2006 (31st round) Detroit Tigers
Jeff Loveys 2006 (48th round) New York Yankees
Joe Ness 2005 (6th round) Cleveland Indians
Matt Singleton 2005 (33rd round) Oakland Athletics
Michael Hale 2004 (35th round) New York Yankees
Lorenzo Scott 2003 (17th round) Baltimore Orioles
Brian Lynch 2003 (23rd round) Colorado Rockies
Ben Schroeder 2003 (26th round) Florida Marlins
Mike Johnston 2003 (41st round) San Francisco Giants
Paul Henry 2002 (7th round) Baltimore Orioles
Doug Boone 2002 (36th round) New York Yankees
2001 (15th round) Florida Marlins
Justin Wechsler 2001 (4th round) Arizona Diamondbacks
Jason Paul 2001 (49th round) Minnesota Twins
Jason Hickman 2000 (8th round) Los Angeles Dodgers
1999 (42nd round) San Francisco Giants
Shayne Ridley 2000 (19th round) Baltimore Orioles
Adam Sheefel 2000 (17th round) Cincinnati Reds
Jeremy Ridley 2000 (34th round) Toronto Blue Jays
Jonathan Kessick 1999 (3rd round) Baltimore Orioles
Travis Minix 1999 (23rd round) Tampa Bay Devil Rays
Chris Cabaj 1999 (25th round) Kansas City Royals
Sam McConnell 1997 (11th round) Pittsburgh Pirates
Bruce Stanley 1997 (18th round) Kansas City Royals
1996 (11th round) Baltimore Orioles
Ed Farris 1997 (27th round) Oakland Athletics
Darrell Betts 1996 (26th round) St. Louis Cardinals
Nick Witte 1996 (27th round) San Diego Padres
Kenny Reed 1993 (18th round) Baltimore Orioles
Curt Conley 1993 (26th round) Colorado Rockies
Mike Shebek 1987 (38th round) Baltimore Orioles
Dru Kosco 1986 (13th round) Seattle Mariners
Mike Roesler 1985 (17th round) Cincinnati Reds
Scott Goss 1984 (28th round) Chicago White Sox
Clint Wickensheimer 1979 (18th round) L.A. Dodgers
Greg Dikos 1979 (28th round) Atlanta Braves
Dennis Barry 1972 (7th round) California Angels
Homer Jackson 1966 New York Mets
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