KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — The Tennessee Volunteer baseball program had five players selected by four different organizations in the 2017 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft (Monday, June 12 – Wednesday, June 14).
On Tuesday, Tennessee third baseman Jordan Rodgers was selected in the sixth round (170th overall) by the Atlanta Braves, becoming the first Volunteer draftee in 2017. He was later joined by Kyle Serrano (10th round — Houston), Zach Warren (14th round — Philadelphia), Hunter Martin (20th round – Houston) and Jeff Moberg (30th round — Colorado) as Tennessee’s five draft selections this year.
Since the Major League Baseball Draft began in 1965, Tennessee has witnessed 55 players selected in Rounds 1-10. With this year’s picks, the Volunteers hold an all-time total of 132 players drafted out of Rocky Top.
Here’s a quick look at Tennessee’s 2017 MLB Draft picks:
Named a First Team All-SEC third baseman as a senior, Jordan Rodgers hit a career-best .322 with nine home runs and 35 RBIs in 2017. He committed just four errors over 160 total chances with 117 assists at the hot corner, good for a .975 fielding percentage.
Rodgers became the 54th Volunteer to be selected in the top 10 rounds of the draft since 1965 and is now the first UT draftee by the Atlanta organization since Ty’Relle Harris was selected in the 19th round of the 2009 draft.
Click HERE for the complete release on Rodgers.
Entering the 2017 season, Kyle Serrano ranked No. 93 on Baseball America’s Top 100 Draft Prospects list. He went 0-2 with a 3.72 ERA over nine appearances prior to his departure from the program in April due to personal reasons. In 9.2 innings of work, he struck out 21 batters and held opponents to a .194 batting average.
Serrano is the first Astros draftee out of Rocky Top since VFL Matt Duffy was selected by the franchise in the 20th round of the 2011 MLB Draft.
Click HERE for the complete release on Serrano.
Zach Warren claimed Tennessee’s Saturday starter role to begin 2017 before transitioning into one of UT’s go-to relievers. He started 11 of 18 games, posting a 2-5 record with one save and 6.31 ERA while collecting 34 strikeouts over 51.1 innings of work.
Previously drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates (23rd round — 2014) out of high school, Warren is the first pick by Philadelphia out of Rocky Top since fellow lefty VFL Bryan Morgado was taken in the fourth round of the 2010 MLB Draft.
Click HERE to view the full release on Warren.
After claiming Tennessee’s Friday night starter role in 2017, Hunter Martin finished the season ranking ninth in NCAA Division I baseball and tied for first in the SEC with four complete games. He ranked fourth in the league with a 5.56 strikeout-to-walk ratio, as well as second among SEC pitchers with just 1.55 walks allowed per nine innings.
This season, Martin started a career-high 14 games, posting a 5-7 record with a 3.59 ERA with a career-best four complete games and 89 strikeouts in 92.2 innings of work. He led the Vols’ staff in multiple pitching categories, including innings pitched and strikeouts.
For the complete release on Martin, click HERE.
As a redshirt senior in 2017, Jeff Moberg hit .311 with 10 doubles, three triples, nine home runs and 33 RBIs over 51 games at second base. He ranked second on the Vols’ squad in batting average and tied for first with nine homers, while his 108 total bases on the year were the most for Tennessee’s offense.
Moberg becomes the first Rockies draftee out of Knoxville since former Vol outfielder John Czarniecki was selected in the 25th round of the June 2003 Draft. He is also the 132nd all-time player drafted out of Tennessee since 1965.
To read the complete release on Moberg, click HERE.
-UT Athletics
