Eight Dirtbags were selected in last week’s 2010 Major League Baseball first-year player draft, which tied for the second most of any team in the Big West Conference.
Junior Jake Thompson became the first Long Beach State player chosen (third from the Big West) when the Tampa Bay Rays took him in the second round, 66th overall.
Thompson will be playing for a team outside of Long Beach for the first time in his young career. Long Beach is Thompson’s hometown and he attended Wilson High School before graduating a year early to come play at LBSU. In 2010, Thompson went 5-4 with a 5.16 ERA and 73 strikeouts in 90.2 innings pitched for the Dirtbags.
He signed with the Rays on Wednesday, officially becoming a member of the organization.
“It’s exciting to become apart of a program that’s a lot like Long Beach State,” Thompson said.
The Rays have high expectations for Thompson with executive vice president Andrew Friedman telling the St. Petersburg Times, “We feel like he’s got a chance to move through the system pretty quickly.”
Thompson joins Evan Longoria (1st round, 2006) and Jason Corder (7th round, 2008) as recent Dirtbags drafted high by Tampa Bay.
Shortstop Devin Lohman, second-team All-Big West, was the next Dirtbag player to go, when he was selected 94th overall by the Cincinnati Reds. Lohman hit .404 in 2010, becoming the first Dirtbag to hit over .400 for a season since 1998.
“Shortstop U” added another name to the list with Lohman getting drafted early. He joins Danny Espinosa (3rd round, 2008), Longoria, Troy Tulowitzki (1st round, 2005), Bobby Crosby (1st round, 2001) and Chris Gomez (3rd round, 1992) as other Dirtbag shortstops taken in the first two days of the draft.
Sophomore third baseman Joey Terdoslavich went in the sixth round to the Atlanta Braves. Terdoslavich hit .326 this year and led the team with 46 RBIs and seven home runs. He was eligible to be drafted due to his redshirt year following his first season at Miami (Fla.).
Terdoslavich transferred from Miami after his freshman year and sat out last season due to NCAA transfer regulations.
“I enjoyed Long Beach very much and loved everything about it,” Terdoslavich said. “The coaches, my teammates, the school and the weather, I loved my experience here. I just wish it translated onto the field. I learned a lot here.”
Atlanta looks like a good fit for Terdoslavich with current Braves third baseman Chipper Jones, a future Hall of Famer, approaching the end of his career.
“It really is the perfect fit for me,” Terdoslavich said. “They want to keep me at third base. With Chipper Jones getting older and no third baseman in the farm system, I might be able to make it up pretty fast.”
Left-handed pitcher Jason Markovitz and outfielder Jonathan Jones were the last two Dirtbags selected on day two of the draft. Markovitz went to the Seattle Mariners in the 13th round and Jones was picked in the 29th round by the Toronto Blue Jays.
Senior Steve Tinoco was the first of three Dirtbags selected on day three. The Rays took the LBSU first baseman in the 34th round after Tinoco put together a solid senior year. He finished the 2010 season hitting .348 with 45 RBIs and ended his career as a Dirtbag with 116 RBIs, 11th most in program history.
Junior Jordan Casas was taken by the Cleveland Indians in the 40th round and, according to The Californian, he will forgo his final year of eligibility at Long Beach State and sign with the Indians.
Senior TJ Mittelstaedt, the last Dirtbag taken, was drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers in the 44th round. Mittelstaedt leaves Long Beach State as the school’s career triples leader and ranks in the top-5 in walks with 105 over his four-year career.
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