TEMPE, Ariz. - Four Sun Devil Baseball pitchers were selected on the second day of the 2015 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft.
Right-hander Ryan Burr was taken by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the fifth round with the 136th overall pick, left-hander Ryan Kellogg went to the Chicago Cubs seven picks later with the 143rd overall selection, right-hander David Graybill was taken by the San Francisco Giants in the ninth round with the 276th pick and right-hander Darin Gillies was picked by the Seattle Mariners in the 10th round with the 305th selection.
Forty-six Sun Devils have been taken in the MLB Draft since 2010, which is the most of any Div. I school in that time span.
ASU leads all NCAA schools with 405 total MLB draft picks, and at least one Sun Devil has been drafted every year since the draft's inception in 1965. The first-ever MLB draft pick was former Sun Devil Rick Monday.
Burr, who is from Highlands Ranch, Colo., was the only player in the nation in 2015 to notch double-digit saves and eight wins, and finished the season first in the Pac-12 in saves and tied for third in victories. He notched a career-best 74 strikeouts and was the only full-time reliever to rank among the top eight in the Pac-12 in strikeouts, and ranked fifth in strikeouts per nine innings among active NCAA career leaders with 12.64.
His 38 career saves are the most in ASU history and rank fourth among active NCAA career leaders, his 14 saves in 2015 tied the program’s single-season record, and his 12 saves in 2013 set the freshmen single-season saves record. He recorded his 26th career save Feb. 18 in a win over Oklahoma to break Doug Nurnberg’s record, which was set in 1965-67 and was the longest-standing individual career record in school history.
A three-time All-Pac-12 honoree, including a first team selection in 2015, a two-time Pac-12 All-Academic, including first team in 2015, and a 2015 Capital One Academic All-America Second Team, Burr went 8-2 in 2015 and finished his three-year career with 15 wins, and his 94 career appearances rank fifth in school annals.
This is the second time Burr has been drafted as he was taken by the Texas Rangers in the 33rd round with the 1026th overall pick in the 2012 MLB draft.
Kellogg, who is from Whitby, Ontario, Canada, is one of eight Sun Devils in school history to earn First Team All-Pac-12 honors in three consecutive seasons. His 28 career wins rank 10th in school history, including fourth among left-handed pitchers, and he joined Craig Swan (1970-72) as the only two Devils to lead the team in wins in three consecutive seasons.
His 3.50 career ERA ranks as the 11th-lowest in the aluminum bat era and his 62 career walks are the lowest in school history among pitchers with at least 300 career innings. A two-time Pac-12 All-Academic honorable mention, he is just the seventh pitcher in school history with at least 47 starts.
This is the second time Kellogg has been drafted as he was taken by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 12th round with the 385th overall pick in the 2012 MLB draft.
Graybill, who is from Phoenix and attend Brophy College Prep, played in 47 games in both the infield and outfield during his three-year career, and also made nine appearances as a pitcher, including two starts.
This is the third time Graybill has been drafted as he was taken by the New York Yankees in the 32nd round with the 992nd overall pick in the 2014 MLB draft, and was selected by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 31st round with the 956th overall pick in the 2012 draft.
Gillies, who is from Hollister, Calif., started 28 games over his four-year career and his 84 career appearances rank sixth in school history. A three-time Pac-12 All-Academic honorable mention, Gillies graduated with a Bachelor’s of Science in Criminal Justice and Criminology in May 2015. He threw 49 1/3 innings in 2015, most on the team among relievers, and struck out a career-best 58. He was undrafted out of high school.
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