June 4, 2002
TEMPE, Ariz. -- Arizona State starting pitcher Mike Esposito and senior center fielder Jon Sheaffer were selected during the first day of the 2002 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft. Esposito was selected in the 12th round by the Colorado Rockies. Ranked as one of Baseball America's Top 100 prospects heading into the draft, Esposito fell to the 351st overall selection. Sheaffer was the 19th-round selection of the New York Yankees.
ASU's leaders in wins in 2002 with nine, Esposito was drafted for the second time in his career, also having been selected in the fifth round by the Cincinnati Reds out of Cimarron-Memorial High School in Las Vegas in 1999. In his two seasons with the Sun Devils, Esposito has compiled a 15-8 combined record with a 3.91 ERA. He was 9-6 in 2002, ranking in the top five in the Pac-10 with 93 strikeouts in 104 innings pitched and compiled 170 total strikeouts in his 35 career appearances.
Named a 2002 All-Pac-10 Honorable Mention selection, Esposito was twice-named the Pac-10 Pitcher of the Week during his career. His 17 strikeouts vs. Washington (3/29) earlier this year were the sixth most in ASU single-game history and earned him Collegiate Baseball National Pitcher of the Week honors. Esposito played last summer with the Team USA National team.
Senior center fielder Sheaffer was the only other Sun Devil to hear his name called on the first day of the draft. Sheaffer, who led the Sun Devils in 2002 with a .364 (40x110) batting average before being suspended from the team in late April, was the 19th-round selection of the New York Yankees. Sheaffer was also selected in the 29th round by the Cincinnati Reds in the 1999 MLB draft.
While Esposito and Sheaffer were the only Sun Devil selected in the first day (up to 22nd round) of the 2002 first year player draft, several ASU signees and former players were selected. Of the Sun Devils 29 recruits that make up the nation's top-ranked recruiting class in the nation, 10 were selected Tuesday. In fact, three of the first seven selections in the draft singed a NLI with Arizona State. Former Sun Devils Skyler Fulton (22nd round by New York Yankees), Eric Keefner (22nd round by Chicago White Sox) and Trent Pratt (12th round by Philadelphia Phillies) were also selected.
Mike Esposito's Career Statistics:
Year ERA W-L App GS CG SHO/CBO SV IP H R ER BB SO 2000.... 5.00 1-0 2 2 0 0/0 0 9.0 8 6 5 6 14 2001.... 4.06 5-2 16 13 0 0/0 0 68.2 66 33 31 24 63 2002.... 3.72 9-6 17 17 3 0/0 0 104.0 109 58 43 31 93 TOTAL... 3.91 15-8 35 32 3 0/0 0 181.2 183 97 79 61 170Jon Sheaffer's Career Statistics:
Year Avg GP-GS AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB-ATT 2001.... .261 30-3 23 8 6 0 0 0 3 5 10 3-3 2002.... .364 38-31 110 31 40 6 1 0 19 14 19 8-12 TOTAL... .346 68-34 133 39 46 6 1 0 22 19 29 11-15