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Local players taken on final MLB draft day
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Thursday's final day of the Major League Baseball first-year draft brought more East Valley high school and a couple Arizona State players one step closer to the pros.
With rounds 31 through 50 concluding this year's draft, ASU junior second baseman and former Phoenix Brophy standout Raoul Torrez was the first among locals off the board in the 32nd round (981st overall) to the Los Angeles Angels. Torrez could eventually reunite with current ASU teammate Josh Spence, a third round choice by the Angels.
Sun Devil signee and former Tempe McClintock standout Jimmy Patterson was taken in the 34th round by Boston. Another future Sun Devil, Gilbert Highland pitcher James Pazos, went in the 40th round to Tampa.
Kirby Pellant, a football and baseball standout at Tempe Corona del Sol, went in the 38th round to the L.A. Dodgers, while former Central Region rival in third baseman Andrew Allen (Phoenix Desert Vista) is headed to the Detroit organization after being selected in the 43rd round, along with Scottsdale Chaparral third baseman Tyler Williams (White Sox). Allen's teammate at D.V., Cole Pembroke, was nabbed in the 47th round by the Dodgers.
Former Scottsdale Notre Dame outfielder Matthew Ozanne will stay with the hometown Diamondbacks after they took him in the 46th round. He was the first of two Notre Dame kids taken by the D-Backs, as teammate and outfielder Jordan Luvisi was taken by Arizona in the 49th round.
A slew of former East Valley players were also taken. Former Phoenix Mountain Pointe and ASU outfielder Jay Sferra was taken in the 31st round by Washington, along with former Gilbert Highland's Jordan Whatcott to the Angels.
Stephen Cilladi (Mesa Mountain View), Ryan Cisterna (Gilbert) and Matt McConnell (Mesa Dobson) were taken by the Dodgers, Angels and Philadelphia, respectively.
Current and Former East Valley high school players drafted
No. Name Team College High School
55 Tommy Joseph San Francisco (Arizona) Scottsdale Horizon
99 Jake Barrett Toronto (Arizona State) Mesa Desert Ridge
199 Devin Fuller Tampa Chandler-Gilbert CC Gilbert
205 Trent Stevenson Pittsburgh (Arizona) Phoenix Brophy
216 Matt Helm Arizona (Arizona) Chandler Hamilton
366 Charles Brewer Arizona UCLA Scottsdale Chaparral
472 Sean Nicol Washington San Diego Phoenix Brophy
665 Merrill Kelly Cleveland Yavapai College Scottsdale Desert Mountain
667 Stetson Banks L.A. Dodgers BYU Mesa Mountain View
716 Justin Anderson Baltimore Louisana-Monroe Tempe McClintock
718 Casey Upperman Atlanta (Arizona) Scottsdale Notre Dame
875 Xorge Carrillo Cleveland Central Arizona CC Tempe McClintock
876 Jacob Williams Arizona San Diego Phoenix Brophy
891 Heath Nichols L.A. Angels Southern Idaho Queen Creek
919 Marcus Jensen Tampa N/A Phoenix Pinnacle
922 J.J. Sferra Washington ASU/UNLV Mountain Pointe
951 Jordan Whatcott L.A. Angels Utah Gilbert Highland
997 Stephen Cilladi L.A. Dodgers Kansas-Weslyan Mesa Mountain View
1038 Jimmy Patterson Boston (Arizona State) Tempe McClintock
1041 Ryan Cisterna L.A. Angels Arkansas Gilbert
1097 Matt McConnell Philadelphia Metro State Mesa Dobson
1147 Kirby Pellant L.A. Dodgers Marshall Corona del Sol
1206 Tim Sherlock Arizona Duke Scottsdale Chaparral
1207 Ryan Christenson L.A. Dodgers South Mountain CC Gilbert
1214 Jerome Pena N.Y. Mets Western Nevada Cactus Shadows
1219 James Pazos Tampa (Arizona State) Gilbert Highland
1280 Trey Ford Chicago N.L. Chandler-Gilbert CC Scottsdale Chaparral
1290 Andrew Allen Detroit Central AZ Phoenix Desert Vista
1303 Tyler Williams Chicago A.L. N/A Scottsdale Chaparral
1386 Matthew Ozanne Arizona Santa Clara Notre Dame
1417 Cole Pembroke L.A. Dodgers N/A Phoenix Desert Vista
1476 Jordan Luvisi Arizona N/A Notre Dame
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