BOCA RATON – The second day of Major League Baseball’s 2017 draft passed without an FAU player being selected.
The handful of Owls hoping to hear their names called will now have to wait until Wednesday, when MLB completes its draft with rounds 11-40.
The good news for FAU is that no major league team selected Coral Springs pitcher Max Lazar, State College of Florida third baseman/outfielder Ryan Karstetter, Tampa-Steinbrenner outfielder/first baseman PK Morris or Palm Beach Community College pitcher Vince Coletti, the four players considered to be at the top of FAU’s incoming recruiting class.
Pitcher Alex House is likely the most disappointed FAU player after Tuesday’s snub. House told OwlAccess.com that he was being told he could be a fifth round choice, but round No. 10 passed without his name being called.
After House, slugger David Miranda would seem likely to be the next to get the MLB call. A JUCO transfer who didn’t even begin the season as a starter, Miranda smashed a team-high 12 home runs, tying for seventh Conference USA.
Miranda recently worked out for the Los Angeles Angels and has received strong interest from Arizona, Atlanta and Seattle.
At times this season lefthander Jake Miednik pitched like the best arm on the Owls’ staff. But he also hit a stretch toward the end of the season that nearly prompted McCormack to pull him from the FAU rotation. MLB teams are always looking for lefthanded pitching, and Miednik was the NJCAA Pitcher of the Year before coming to FAU. He could be selected when the draft reaches round No. 15, or go undrafted altogether.
Second baseman Stephen Kerr went undrafted last year but remains hopeful some team will give him a chance this year. A senior, Kerr won’t return to FAU whether he’s drafted or not.
Senior third baseman Austin Langham, who can play several infield positions, is in a similar situation as Kerr, but if he plays at the next level it would most likely be as a free-agent signee. The same can be said for pitcher/designated hitter Sean Labsan, who began his senior year with a pectoral injury and under-performed upon returning.
Right-handed pitcher Mark Nowatnick, arguably the most consistent FAU pitcher all year, missed the final four weeks of the season after breaking his foot during the celebration of an FAU walk-off victory over FIU. He could get a call late, as could catcher Kevin Abraham. Both have the option of returning for their senior seasons.
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