2012 MLB Draft: Two Arkansas Razorback Players Selected in Second Round
By Ryan Wright
Fayetteville, Ark.– The 2012 Major League Baseball Draft began on Tuesday and by the second round Arkansas Razorback third baseman Matt Reynolds and pitcher Nolan Sanburn were taken off the draft board.
Reynolds has been a star for the Arkansas Razorbacks throughout the 2012 college baseball season earning third team All-American and All-SEC honors. The New York Mets see the star potential in Reynolds as well selecting him No. 71 overall in the second round.
Reynolds, a junior from Bishop Kelley High School in Tulsa, Oklahoma, leads the Hogs in almost every major offensive category including batting average (.343), homeruns (7), RBI (42), slugging percentage (.535), total bases (114), and doubles (20). He is tied with team shortstop Tim Carver for total hits with 73.
The scouting report on Reynolds (6’1”, 200 pounds) reads as a possible shortstop or third baseman at the pro level with the ability to be a utility player if needed. His power has not developed but hits well to the gaps. His plate coverage is better from the middle-in which means he will have to learn to cover the outer half of the plate better and hit to the opposite field.
Just three picks after Reynolds was selected Nolan Sanburn, a 6’1” 205 right-handed pitcher sophomore from Kokomo, Indiana, was picked by the Oakland A’s as the No. 74 pick in the 2012 MLB Draft.
Sanburn (4-1, 2.58 ERA) already has a major league arm throwing his fastball in the high ‘90’s that levels off in the mid-90’s. Arkansas head coach Dave Van Horn has given the ball to Sanburn as a starter four times and as a middle reliever 16 times.
Sanburn has a nasty curve when he has control of the pitch. He has allowed 19 walks while striking out 46 batters during the 2012 season.
In 138 at bats the opposition is hitting .196 against him and he has not surrendered a home run yet this year.
The scouting report on Sanburn is as a middle reliever, set-up man, or a team closer.
The pick following Sanburn’s at No. 74 was Arkansas Razorback signee Teddy Stankiewicz from Fort Worth Christian High School in Texas.
The Mets selected Stankiewicz, a big right-handed pitcher, 6’4”, 190 pounds, at No. 75 overall as a projected future MLB starter.
Stankiewicz has an above average fastball clocking in between 88-91 mph and mixes three other pitches along with a decent slider. His ability to master his secondary pitches while continuing to show command of the strike zone will be his ticket to the big leagues one day.
Arkansas Razorback recruit D’Vone McClure, a 6’3”, 190 pound outfielder from Jacksonville, Arkansas was drafted in the fourth round.
The Cleveland Indians selected McClure No. 143 overall.
The scouting report on McClure includes his quick bat and great athletic ability.
Ty Buttrey from Providence High School in Matthews, North Carolina (Charlotte area) was selected by the Boston Red Sox as the 151st overall selection.
Buttrey is considered a raw talent with lots of room and time to improve. At 6’6”, 210 pounds, the Arkansas Razorback recruit will be a welcomed addition to the team if he does not sign with the Sox out of high school.
The Baltimore Orioles selected Colin Poche, a left-handed pitcher from Flower Mound Marcus High School in Texas with the 162nd overall pick.
Poche is another big pitcher with a frame to add more zip on his fastball. At 6’4”, 190 pounds, the Razorbacks would love to have him develop his pitches on opposing SEC batters over the next three years.
Outfielder Shilo McCall from Peidra Vista High School in New Mexico was selected by the San Francisco Giants as the No. 298 overall pick. His selection was the last Razorback player or recruit to be drafted through the first nine rounds of the draft.
All players drafted have the ability to turn down a major league baseball contract to continue playing or begin playing college baseball eligibility permitting.
Sophomore Razorback pitcher Ryne Stanek just missed the cutoff to be eligible for the 2012 draft.
2012 Arkansas Razorback Baseball Commitments
Position/Recruit/High School/State
C Blake Baxendale, Rogers, Arkansas
C Jeremy Montalbano, Seven Lakes, Texas
OF Shilo McCall, Piedra Vista, New Mexico
OF D’Vone McClure, Jacksonville, Arkansas
1B Adam Meyer, Azle, Texas
SS Garret Rucker, Arkadelphia, Arkansas
3B Willie Schwanke, Wakeland, Texas
Pitchers
RHP Ty Buttrey, Providence, North Carolina
RHP Jarred Greene, Magnolia, Texas
RHP Isaac Hellbusch, Deer Creek, Oklahoma
RHP Trey Killian, Mountain Home, Arkansas
LHP Collin Poche, Flower Mound Marcus, Texas
RHP Teddy Stankiewicz, Forth Worth Christian, Texas