Despite a last-place finish in the Big West Conference, Long Beach State had eight of its players selected in the Major League Baseball first-year player draft on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Right-handed pitcher Jake Thompson was the first Dirtbag player to be selected as he went at No. 66 overall to the Tampa Bay Rays. The junior finished with a 5-4 record in 14 starts and logged a 5.16 earned run average this season. Thompson, who was selected in the second round, said after his last start that the draft “would have to go really bad,” for him to return to The Beach next season.
“It was exciting,” Thompson said. “I had a feeling I was going to get drafted by the Rays.”
Thompson finished his career at LBSU with a 11-16 record, 5.26 ERA, and 157 strike outs in 243 innings pitched. He said he enjoyed his time with the team and recalled their 2008 playoff run as his favorite memory.
“There was nothing like hosting a regional and experiencing college playoffs my freshman year,” said Thompson. “I think we had 11 guys drafted that year.”
Former LBSU star Evan Longoria plays third base for the Rays.
Shortstop Devin Lohman was selected 28 picks later (pick No. 94) by the Cincinnati Reds. The junior led LBSU with a .404 batting average, but missed time due to a hamstring injury towards the latter part of the season. Lohman is just the latest in a long line of Dirtbags’ shortstops to be drafted, with the last being Danny Espinosa in 2008.
Draft-eligible sophomore Joey Terdoslavich was the next to go when he was taken in the sixth round (pick No. 194) by the Atlanta Braves. The Miami, Fla. native played just one year at The Beach after using a red shirt in 2009. Terdoslavich led the Dirtbags with seven home runs and 46 RBIs.
He is also just one of two Dirtbags to play in all 55 games this season. Steve Tinoco is the other player.
Reliever Jason Markovitz (pick No. 402) and outfielder Jonathan Jones (pick No. 876) rounded out the group as they went in the 13th and 29th rounds, respectively. Markovitz was selected by the Seattle Mariners and finished the 2010 season with a team-low 2.93 ERA in a career-high 25 appearances.
Jones, who was drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays, played in 49 games this season and finished with a .318 batting average for the Dirtbags. The junior also had 29 RBIs and three home runs in 2010.
Steve Tinoco highlighted a trio of Dirtbags selected on the final day of the draft.
Tinoco, who hit .329 over his four-year collegiate career, was selected in the 34th round (No. 1,031 overall) by the Rays.
Jordan Casas and TJ Mittelstaedt rounded out the LBSU draftees.
Casas, who was drafted in the 40th round (No. 1,200) by the Cleveland Indians, hit .291 with 27 stolen bases in his three-year career at The Beach. Mittelstaedt, the career triples leader at LBSU, went to the Milwaukee Brewers in the 44th round (No. 1,329).
Assistant sports editor Steve Lyons contributed to this report.
Disclaimer: The Daily 49er is not responsible for Postings made on www.daily49er.wpengine.com. Persons commenting are solely responsible for Postings made on this website. Persons commenting agree to the Terms of Use of the website. If Postings do not abide by the Rules of Conduct or Posting Regulations as listed in the Postings Policy, the Daily 49er has all rights to delete Postings as it deems necessary. The Daily 49er strongly advises individuals to not abuse their First Amendment rights, and to avoid language suggestive of hate speech. This site also encourages users to make Postings relevant to the article or other Postings.