The deadline has come and gone for amateur baseball players to sign their professional contracts, meaning Arizona State head baseball coach Tim Esmay will now know what his 2013 Sun Devil baseball team will look like.
The deadline for professional contracts was moved up a month this year as part of the new MLB collective bargaining agreement. Players had until July 15th to sign their professional contracts, if high school players or drafted college players did not sign by the deadline, they would enroll in their respective colleges.
Fourteen signees will join the Arizona State baseball team for the 2012-2013 school year and the 2013 baseball season. Six of the 14 signees were taken in the MLB draft and four players from Arizona will join the Sun Devils in 2013. Click the jump find out more about the future Sun Devils.
As usual, Arizona State baseball did not stray far from home when finding talent. Even though the Sun Devils lost out on local players like Mitch Nay, Tony Blanford and Wayne Ethington, all who signed professional contracts, ASU still landed four players from the Grand Canyon state.
Chris Beall, Nick Diamond, David Graybill and Eric Melboasted all the four Arizona prep stars who will be wearing maroon and gold next season.
Graybill is set to be a third generation Sun Devil, as his grandfather and father both played baseball for ASU. His grandfather, David Graybill Sr., is one of only seven three-sport letterman in school history after playing football, basketball and baseball for ASU in the 1950's.
Graybill and Beall come to ASU from Brophy College Prep, continuing the strong pipeline between the high school and ASU. Former Broncos Matt Newman, Raul Torres and Riccio Torres have all recently stared for the Sun Devils, and current Sun Devil Kasey Coffman attended Brophy College Prep.
Left-handed pitcher Ryan Kellogg was taken by the Blue Jays in the 12th round, however the Canadian turned down Toronto and elected to attend Arizona State. Kellogg is expected to be a major factor in the Sun Devils pitching rotation next season.
Here is a full list of the 2013 Sun Devil class now courtesy of The Arizona State Baseball Athletic web site
Name | Pos. | Hometown | High School | 2012 MLB Draft |
Jordan Aboites | INF | Long Beach, Calif. | Mayfair | |
Chris Beall | OF | Phoenix, Ariz. | Brophy Prep | |
Ryan Burr | RHP/OF | Highlands Ranch, Colo. | Highlands Ranch | 33rd rd (1026th overall), Texas Rangers |
Nick Diamond | LHP/OF | Paradise Valley, Ariz. | Chaparral | |
Tony DiMartino | INF/OF | Alamo, Calif. | Monte Vista | |
Dalton DiNatale | INF | Rancho Cucamonga, Calif. | Ontario Christian | |
David Graybill | RHP/OF | Phoenix, Ariz. | Brophy Prep | 31st rd (956th overall), LA Dodgers |
Tony Kamachi | RHP | Kapolei, Hawai'i | Kapolei | |
Ryan Kellogg | LHP | Whitby, Ontario, Canada | Henry Street | 12th rd (385th overall), Toronto Blue Jays |
Brett Lilek | LHP | New Holland, Ill. | Marian Catholic | 37th rd (1121st overall), Seattle Mariners |
Eric Melbostad | RHP | Scottsdale, Ariz. | Pinnacle | |
Cullen O'Dwyer | OF | Albuquerque, N.M. | El Dorado | 39th rd (1199th overall), Atlanta Braves |
John Sewald | OF | Las Vegas, Nev. | Bishop Gorman | 34th rd (1032nd overall), Baltimore Orioles |
RJ Ybarra | C | Riverside, Calif. | Riverside Poly |
For more information about the ASU class vistit
http://www.thesundevils.com/sports/m-basebl/spec-rel/071612aab.html