CAMBRIDGE, Mass.-- Five baseball players from America East were picked in the 2008 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft on Friday afternoon. Those players drafted include Stony Brook's Tom Koehler, Maine's Bill Cather and Curt Smith, Albany's Mike Konstanty and Binghamton's Jeff Dennis.
Koehler went early in the day on Friday, selected by the Florida Marlins in the 18th round as the 538th overall pick. A 6'4", 247 lb right-handed pitcher, Koehler is a two-time second team All-Conference player and pitched game one of Stony Brook's run to the 2008 America East Championship title. He ranked 19th in the country this season with 10.71 strikeouts per nine innings.
The Washington Nationals picked up Cather with the 991st pick during the 33rd round. An outfielder who bats lefty and throws righty, Cather played in 138 career games for the Black Bears, playing the first 134 without an error. His speed helped him to a team-leading 15 stolen bases this year and 44 career steals. Cather batted .328 in 2008 with 35 runs scored and 25 RBI.
A pair of senior first basemen, Konstanty and Smith were both scooped up in the 39th round. Konstanty was a selection by the Cincinnati Reds in the 1169th overall slot. Konstanty, at 6-foot-4 and 245 pounds, established the school’s single-season record with 13 home runs this spring. The St. Louis Cardinals selected 5'10", 200 lb lb Smith. Smith was the 2008 America East Player of the Year, leading the conference with a .403 batting average and .722 slugging percentage.
The Oakland Athletics selected Dennis in the 40th round Friday evening. Selected as the 1,204th player overall, the 6'6" left-handed pitcher Dennis was named to the 2008 Brooks Wallace Player of the Year Watch List prior to the season. He made 14 starts this year to post four wins and a 3.97 ERA