Phils stay with college theme in MLB draft Day 2

After taking Wichita State third baseman Alec Bohm with the No. 3 overall pick Monday, the Phillies stayed with the college theme for four of its seven picks in Day 2 of the 2018 MLB Draft Tuesday.

The Phils had to wait until the fourth round to make their second choice in the three-day draft after giving up their second-and thirdround selections as compensation for signing free agents Carlos Santana and Jake Arrieta. When they finally did get to select, the Phillies used three of their next six picks on college players.

The Philliess took Cal State Fullerton pitcher Colton Eastman in the fourth round (107 overall), Notre Dame outfielder Matt Vierling in the fifth round (No. 137 overall) and Coastal Carolina shortstop Seth Lancaster in round eight (No. 227). They closed out the day selecting South Carolina shortstop Madison Stokes (No. 287) in the 10th round.

The Phillies used their picks in the sixth, seventh and ninth rounds on high school players. They selected shortstop Logan Simmons, a shortstop from Tattnall Square Academy, in the sixth round (No. 167), left-handed pitcher Gabriel Cotto from the Puerto Rico Baseball Academy I in the seventh round (No. 197) and Dominic Pipkin a right-handed pitcher from Pinole Valley High School in California in the ninth round (No. 257).

This is the second straight year the Phillies have taken a pitcher from Cal State Fullerton. Last year they tabbed Connor Seabold in the third round. He’s with the Class A Clearwater Thrashers in the Florida State League. The 6-3, 185-pound Eastman is 103 with a 2.20 ERA for the Titans, who take on Washington State in the NCAA Super Regionals beginning Friday.

Vierling batted .310 with a .402 on-base-percentage for the Irish. The 6-3, 205-pound junior also had a .505 slugging percentage and tied for the team lead with 10 home runs. Lancaster led Coastal Carolina in slugging percentage (.464) and home runs (20), was second among the regulars in on-base-percentage (.454) and tied for second in RBIs (57).

Stokes has been plagued by injuries throughout his career. He suffered a foot injury in 2016, a wrist injury in 2017 and has had a hamstring problem this season. Still, he leads the team in slugging percentage (.587), ranks second in batting (.331), home runs (10) and RBIs (43) and third in OBP (.417). The Gamecocks face Arkansas in the Super Regionals.

Power was a theme, too. Simmons is a player with power who could end up at third base or in the outfield, according to his scouting report. He was a Rawlings-Perfect Game firstteam All-American coming into the season. Pipkin is 6-4, 190 and his fastball was clocked in the 9596 MPH range at the Area Code Games. Cotto also is 6-4 and just turned 18. He throws a fastball, sinker, slider and changeup.

Staff and wire report