Sam Selman (Vanderbilt) of the Mankato MoonDogs is following in the footsteps of former Northwoods left handed pitchers James Jones (Waterloo Bucks) and Chris Sale (La Crosse). Selman, a hard throwing Austin, TX native, resembles both Jones and Sale in delivery and velocity.
The 6’3’’ 175-pound Selman was selected by the Angels in the 14th round out of high school, but honored his Vanderbilt commitment. As a freshman, he struggled in his role out of the bullpen and had a 9.00 ERA, but is having a productive summer in the Northwoods. In his 1st season in Mankato he is 2-3 with a 3.18 ERA in 39.2 innings pitched with an opponents only hitting .182.
James Jones was drafted by the Seattle Mariners in 2009 in the 4th round and is currently in Single-A playing for the Clinton LumberKings. The 6’4’’ lefty is hitting .260 with 39 extra base hits and 21 steals with Clinton.
Chris Sale recently made his Major League debut for the Chicago White Sox out of the bullpen. He was the 13th pick in the 2010 First-Year Major League Player Draft and reaches the Majors quicker than any draftee since 2003.
Follow the link below to read Perfect Game USA’s reflection of Selman.
http://www.perfectgame.org/Articles/View.aspx?article=4927