July 13, 2012
THE FLATS – Four current or future Georgia Tech baseball players that were selected in the 2012 Major League Baseball First Year Player Draft have announced their intentions to bypass the draft and play for the Yellow Jackets next season.
Fourth-round selection Brandon Thomas (junior outfielder), 11th-round pick Matt Gonzalez (incoming freshman shortstop) and 15th-round pick Buck Farmer (junior right-handed pitcher) indicated their intent to return to Tech after the signing deadline passed on July 13th at 5 p.m.
Thomas (selected by the Pittsburgh Pirates) and Farmer (Milwaukee Brewers) will return for their senior seasons, while Gonzalez (Oakland Athletics) will enroll this fall, and join rising junior outfielder Kyle Wren, who indicated his intent to return earlier this summer after being selected in the 30th-round by Cincinnati.
Senior first baseman Jake Davies (Boston Red Sox) and junior right-handed pitcher Luke Bard (Minnesota Twins) were the only two Yellow Jackets to sign in 2012. Davies is playing for the Red Sox rookie league team in the Gulf Coast League, while Bard continues to rehab his injury.
With Thomas, Farmer and Wren returning, the defending Atlantic Coast Conference champion Yellow Jackets welcome back nearly all of the key components from their 2012 championship run.
A First Team All-ACC pick, and named to both the ACC All-Tournament Team and the Gainesville Regional All-Tournament Team, Thomas enjoyed a career year by hitting a team-leading .360 with 15 doubles, five triples five home runs and 44 RBI. The speedster drew 37 walks, 13 hit by pitches and swiped 12 bases in 17 attempts. His .481 on-base percentage finished among the ACC leaders.
Thomas, a native of Atlanta, is a two-time Academic All-ACC pick, and this season was named a Capital One Academic All-America.
Farmer was also an All-ACC First Team pick, and the junior righty finished with an 8-4 record and a 3.54 ERA in 16 starts. Farmer, who beat No. 1 Florida State to open Tech’s run to the ACC tournament title, ranks third in the ACC with 115 strikeouts. His 265 career strikeouts are 13th all-time at Tech. The Conyers, Ga. native allowed just 100 hits in 106 2/3 innings this season and opponents hit .248 off him.
