(Rochester Minn.) – Drew Ellis (Louisville) highlighted a list of seven current and former Rochester Honkers that were selected in the 2017 MLB First-Year Player Draft. Former players Mark Contreras (UC Riverside), Brac Warren (Oregon), Max Gamboa (Pepperdine), Scott Schreiber (Nebraska), Alex Fagalde (UC Riverside), and current player Connor Mayes (Texas) were also drafted this week.
Ellis (third baseman) was the highest former Honker to be drafted. He was selected in the second round (44th overall) by the Arizona Diamondbacks. He played for the Honkers in 2016, batting .221 and led the team with 11 home runs and 35 RBIs.
Contreras (outfielder) was selected in the ninth round (256th overall) by the Minnesota Twins. He played two seasons with the Honkers, batting .275 with five home runs in the 2015 season. He played eight games in Rochester in 2016, batting .357 with 10 hits.
Warren (right-handed pitcher) was selected in the 17th round (516th overall) by the San Francisco Giants. He pitched six innings without surrendering a run at the end of the 2015 season for the Honkers. Warren pitched a scoreless inning with a strikeout in a playoff loss to St. Cloud.
Gamboa (right-handed pitcher) was selected in the 18th round (550th overall) by the Los Angeles Dodgers. He started five games for the Honkers in the 2016 season, finishing with a 1-0 record and 4.83 ERA.
Mayes (right-handed pitcher) was selected in the 24th round (720th overall) by the Kansas City Royals. He was signed for the 2017 season.
Schreiber (first baseman) was selected in the 26th round (769th overall) by the Tampa Bay Rays. He held a .298 batting average with five doubles and four home runs.
Fagalde (right-handed pitcher) was selected in the 30th round (904th overall) by the St. Louis Cardinals. He led the 2016 pitching staff with a 1.41 ERA and 54 strikeouts, earning a 2-1 record.
The Honkers are on the road tonight to take on Mankato MoonDogs for two games. First pitch Thursday night is 7:05 p.m. Eddie Mathis (Bellarmine) is scheduled to start for the Honkers. Mathis is 1-2 this season with an 11.00 ERA.
The next home game is Saturday, June 17th against the Waterloo Bucks. It is First Responders Night at Mayo Field. Show your First Responders ID and get a free general admission ticket. First pitch is 7:05 p.m., gates open at 6:00 p.m.
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The Northwoods League is the proven leader in the development of elite college baseball players. The 23-year old summer collegiate league is the largest organized baseball league in the world with 20 teams, drawing significantly more fans, in a friendly ballpark experience, than any league of its kind. A valuable training ground for coaches, umpires and front office staff, more than 160 Northwoods League players have advanced to Major League Baseball, including two-time Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer (WAS), two-time World Series Champion Ben Zobrist (CHC) and MLB All-Stars Chris Sale (BOS), Jordan Zimmermann (DET), Curtis Granderson (NYM) and Lucas Duda (NYM). All league games are viewable live via the Northwoods League website. For more information, visit www.northwoodsleague.com or download the Northwoods League Mobile App on the Apple App Store or on Google Play.