BIG EAST 2016 MLB Draft Roundup: 10 Players Selected From Five Schools
NEW YORK -- After 40 rounds and three days, 10 players from BIG EAST member schools were selected in the 2016 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft. BIG EAST Championship runners up Creighton led the league with three players selected in the draft. BIG EAST Championship and regular season title winner Xavier had two picks, as well as St. John’s and Georgetown. Seton Hall had one.
The highest pick for a BIG EAST school went to the league’s Pitcher of the Year Thomas Hackimer from St. John’s who was selected in the fourth round, 123rd overall by the Minnesota Twins.
In 2015, the BIG EAST’s highest draft pick was last year’s Player of the Year, Nick Collins from Georgetown who went in the fifth round to the Oakland A’s.
Hackimer chose to finish his senior year at St. John’s after being selected in the 15th round by the New York Mets, his hometown team, in 2015. Hackimer was the first relief pitcher to earn BIG EAST Pitcher of the Year honors since 2005. Red Storm infielder Ty Blankmeyer was selected in the 36th round, pick No. 1,068, by the Cincinnati Reds. Last year, St. John’s had six players drafted.
The BIG EAST’s next highest pick went to Creighton’s Nicky Lopez, who was selected in the fifth round, 163rd overall, by the Kansas City Royals. Lopez became the highest draft pick for the Bluejays since Ryan Gripp signed with the Chicago Cubs in the third round (110th overall) in the 1999 season. Also for Creighton junior outfielder Daniel Woodrow went in the 12th round, 355th overall, to the Detroit Tigers; while senior reliever Nick Highberger went in the 30th round, pick No. 892) to the Oakland Athletics.
Xavier’s Daniel Rizzie, the 2016 BIG EAST Championship Most Outstanding Player, was drafted in the 13th round (400) by the New York Mets. Rizzie, a senior catcher, missed most of 2015 with a hand injury and came back in 2016 as a first team All-BIG EAST catcher. Teammate Andre Jernigan, the unanimous BIG EAST Player of the Year, was selected in the 14th round, joining Hackimer on the Twins. Jernigan was No. 423rd overall.
Drafted in the 26th round was Derek Jenkins of Seton Hall, No. 786 overall to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.
Georgetown had two junior righty pitchers selected in the 34th round, Matt Smith (1,011) to the Milwaukee Brewers and David Ellingson (1,017) to the Seattle Mariners.
In the past two seasons, 21 players have been selected in the First-Year Player Draft.
BIG EAST Players in 2016 MLB First-Year Player Draft
Round (Overall) Player Team
4 (123) Thomas Hackimer, St. John’s, Sr., RHP Minnesota Twins
5 (163) Nicky Lopez, Creighton, Jr., SS Kansas City Royals
12 (355) Daniel Woodrow, Creighton, Jr., CF Detroit Tigers
13 (400) Daniel Rizzie, Xavier, Sr., C New York Mets
14 (423) Andre Jernigan, Xavier, Jr., SS Minnesota Twins
26 (786) Derek Jenkins, Seton Hall, Sr., CF Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
30 (892) Nick Highberger, Creighton, Sr., RHP Oakland Athletics
34 (1,011) Matt Smith, Georgetown, Jr., RHP Milwaukee Brewers
34 (1,017) David Ellingson, Georgetown, Jr. RHP Seattle Mariners
36 (1,068) Ty Blankmeyer, St. John’s, Sr., INF Cincinnati Reds