Arizona’s outfield was well represented in MLB Draft’s second day with three players taken — Ryan Holgate, Branden Boissiere and Donta’ Williams.
Left-hander Gil Luna was also drafted.
Holgate was selected by the St. Louis Cardinals at No. 70 overall in the Competitive Balance Round B between the second and third rounds.
The 10 lowest-revenue clubs and the clubs from the 10 smallest markets are eligible to receive a Competitive Balance pick. All eligible teams are assigned a pick, either in Competitive Balance Round A or Round B. Round A falls between the first and second rounds while Round B comes between the second and third.
Boissiere was selected by the Washington Nationals with the No. 82 pick.
Williams was selected by the Baltimore Orioles at No. 106 in the fourth round.
Luna was chosen by the Chicago White Sox at No. 275 in the ninth round.
Former Arizona infielder Dayton Dooney, who transferred to Central Arizona College before this school year, was taken in the sixth round (162nd pick) by the Kansas City Royals. He was named a Freshman All-American by several outlets in 2019 after hitting .323 with 10 home runs, 14 doubles and 53 RBIs in 48 games with the Wildcats.
As reported by MLB.com, the approximate value of the picks to this point:
— Holgate: $906,800.
— Boissiere: $744,200.
— Williams: $549,000.
— Dooney: $299,000.
— Luna: $152,000.
MLB.com lists Arizona right-hander Chase Silseth as the 157th top prospect, but he has yet to be selected.
Arizona’s high-profile recruit from Bishop Gorman High School in Las Vegas — Tyler Whitaker, a left-handed hitting outfielder, was picked in the third round by the Houston Astros. MLB.com reports that pick has a value of $689,300. He is not expected to attend Arizona.
Third-year sophomore right-hander George Arias, Jr., son of former Pueblo, Pima, Arizona and MLB standout George Arias, is also listed as a prospect. The elder Arias told me Sunday that his son has taken his name out of the transfer portal and is returning to Arizona to play for new coach Chip Hale and pitching coach Dave Lawn.
Listed by MLB.com as a potential draft selection is Catalina Foothills Class of 2021 shortstop Marcus Sanders, son of former Santa Rita and Arizona quarterback standout Anthony Sanders, who is a coach with the Orioles.
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ALLSPORTSTUCSON.com publisher, writer and editor Javier Morales is a former Arizona Press Club award winner. He is a former Arizona Daily Star beat reporter for the Arizona basketball team, including when the Wildcats won the 1996-97 NCAA title. He has also written articles for CollegeAD.com, Bleacher Report, Lindy’s Sports, TucsonCitizen.com, The Arizona Republic, Sporting News and Baseball America, among many other publications. He has also authored the book “The Highest Form of Living”, which is available at Amazon. He became an educator five years ago and is presently a special education teacher at Gallego Fine Arts Intermediate in the Sunnyside Unified School District
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