June 6, 2014
THE FLATS – Georgia Tech sophomore left-handed pitcher Sam Clay was selected Friday by the Minnesota Twins in the fourth round of the 2014 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft.
Clay – a draft-eligible sophomore as he turns 21 within 45 days of the draft — becomes the 18th Georgia Tech draftee since 2011 with nine of them coming in the top five rounds. In the four years prior (2007-10), just six of the 31 picks were in the top-five rounds.
The draft concludes Saturday with rounds 11-40.
Sam Clay – Sophomore – LHP – Buford, Ga. (Buford)
• Posted the second-lowest ERA in Tech history this season with his 1.26 in 57.1 innings and a team-best 31 appearances
• Went 4-1 on the mound and led the Yellow Jackets with eight saves
• Did not allow a run over his final six appearances, including all four stints in postseason play
• Two of his four wins and three of his eight saves came in the final month
• Pitched in five of Tech’s six shutout victories this season
• He is the 17th left-handed pitcher drafted out of Georgia Tech and the first since David Duncan in 2008 by Houston
• He is the 10th Tech player drafted by the Minnesota Twins and the first Tech left-handed pitcher chosen by the organization
• The last Yellow Jacket drafted by the Twins was RHP Luke Bard in 2012
• Becomes the 186th all-time Yellow Jacket draft pick (121st under head coach Danny Hall) and the program’s 56th top-five rounder (38th under Hall)
• Was not drafted out of high school
Georgia Tech Players In 2013 MLB Draft (thru 10 rounds)
Rd. (Pick), Name, Year, Pos., Team
4 (110) Sam Clay, So., LHP, Minnesota Twins
