June 7, 2011
WACO, Texas - Baylor junior right-handed pitchers Logan Verrett and Brooks Pinckard were each selected in Tuesday's Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft. Verrett was chosen by the New York Mets in the third round with the 101st overall pick, while Pinckard was tabbed in the 10th round by the Cincinnati Reds with the 325th overall selection.
Verrett's selection marks the 15th time in program history a Bear has been called in the top three rounds of the first-year player draft. Baylor has now had multiple selections in the top 10 rounds in seven of the last 14 seasons. Both players were undrafted out of high school before joining the Baylor program.
Verrett has compiled a 19-10 record with a 3.54 ERA in 53 games pitched, 34 of which were starts, in three seasons at Baylor. He's struck out 257 and walked only 73 in 246.1 career innings pitched.
His 257 career strikeouts rank seventh in program history and third behind only Jason Jennings and Kip Wells among pitchers with three or fewer years of experience. His 3.52 career ERA in Big 12 play is the third-best in program history and his 3.52 strikeout-to-walk ratio is second-best all-time at Baylor.
Pinckard, a two-way player who redshirted as a true freshman in 2008, was chosen in the 18th round of the 2010 MLB Draft by the Chicago Cubs, but he elected to return to Baylor for his junior season.
Pinckard posted the second-most stolen bases in program history with 36 steals in 39 attempts this season, but the speed on his fastball led the Reds to draft him as a pitcher. Pinckard made 57 appearances, including six starts on the mound in three years competing for Baylor. He posted a 10-7 record with 16 saves and a 3.69 ERA in 112.1 innings of work.
At the plate, Pinckard has seen action in 129 games and made 119 starts. In three seasons, Pinckard has hit .290 with 22 doubles, 12 triples, five home runs, 53 RBI, 17 sacrifice bunts and 65 stolen bases in 72 career attempts.
Pinckard's name is scattered throughout the Baylor batting and pitching record books. He's third in program history with 65 career steals, tied for second with 24 steals in Big 12 play and second in single-season steals with 36 this season - the ninth-most ever in a single season by a Big 12 Conference player. Pinckard also grounded into the only double play of his career in his 464th career at-bat on Monday.
He also has the fifth-best Big 12 career ERA in program history at 3.72, ranks fifth with 16 career saves and tied for seventh with five career saves in Big 12 play. His 12 saves in 2010 were the most ever by a Baylor sophomore and the third-most ever by a Baylor pitcher.
With the two selections, Baylor has now had multiple draft picks in 13 of the last 14 MLB drafts and at least one Bear has been chosen in every draft since 1991. The Bears have had 116 total draft selections in program history.
The first round of the draft was held Monday, while rounds two through 30 are on Tuesday and the final 20 rounds take place Wednesday. Teams have until August 15 to sign players with remaining college eligibility.
