Nine Tech Players Taken In MLB Draft

June 6, 2001

ATLANTA — A school-record nine members of the Georgia Tech baseball team were selected in the first 20 rounds on day one of the 2001 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft, eclipsing the previous high of seven players in 1997.

Headling the list is third baseman Mark Teixeira (Severna Park, Md.), who was the fifth overall selection by the Texas Rangers. The junior is the fifth first round draft pick in Tech baseball history, joining Kevin Brown (1986, seventh overall pick), Ty Griffin (1988, fourth), Nomar Garciaparra (1994, 12th) and Jason Varitek (1994, 14th).

Junior second baseman Richard Lewis (Marietta, Ga.), who was undrafted out of high school, was the 40th overall selection after being selected as a supplemental first round pick by the Atlanta Braves.

Junior right-handed pitcher Steve Kelly (Fairfield, Ohio) was selected by his hometown Cincinnati Reds in the fourth round, while fellow righty hurler Rhett Parrott (Dalton, Ga.) was taken in the ninth round by the St. Louis Cardinals.

Catcher Bryan Prince (Ft. Oglethorpe), who returned to Tech for his senior season after not being drafted as a junior, was selected in the 10th round by the Cincinnati Reds.

Junior righty Kevin Cameron (Joliet, Ill.) was the first pick in the 13th round by the Minnesota Twins and Brian Sager (Branford, Conn.), also a junior right handed, went in the 14th round to the Chicago White Sox.

Senior outfielder/catcher Jason Basil (West Chester, Ohio) was taken by the Oakland Athletics in the 15th round, while senior outfielder Brad Stockton (Marietta, Ga.) was the final Yellow Jacket selected when he went in the 22nd round to the Texas Rangers.

In addition to the eight current Yellow Jackets that were selected, nine members of Tech*s incoming recruiting class were also picked in day one of the draft.

Third baseman David Wright (Chesapeake, Va.) was a supplemental first round pick by the New York Mets, pitcher Jay Mitchell (LaGrange, Ga.) went in the fourth round to the Colorado Rockies, pitcher Kyle Davies (Stockbridge, Ga.) was taken in the fourth round by the Atlanta Braves, pitcher Jim Johnson (Endicott, N.Y.) was selected by the Baltimore Orioles in the fifth round, and outfielder Jeremy Slayden (Murfreesboro, Tenn.) went in the 20th round to the San Diego Padres.

On day two of the draft, infielder Eric Patterson (Kennesaw, Ga.) was taken in the 23rd round by the Colorado Rockies, pitcher Kyle Schmidt (Palm Harbor, Fla.) went in the 29th round to the Baltimore Orioles, pitcher Kevin Guyette (Paradise Valley, Ariz.) was selected by the Seattle Mariners in the 41st round, and outfielder Brandon Boggs (Marietta, Ga.) was taken in the 50th round by the New York Yankees.

(*) = denotes supplemental first round pick