Three more Oregon baseball players’ names were called on the final day of the MLB Draft: Scott Heineman, Conor Harber and Cole Irvin. A total of six currently rostered Ducks will now weigh the decision whether to sign with professional teams or return to Oregon another season.
The Texas Rangers chose Heineman, a redshirt junior, with pick No. 301 in the 11th round. He began the 2015 season in the outfield but wound up at first base and provided the offense a much-needed spark down the stretch. He batted .290 with a .432 slugging percentage and led the team with 16 steals. After four years in the program, he ranks in the career top 10 in eight different offensive categories—stolen bases (3rd), intentional walks (4th), doubles (5th), hit-by-pitches (5th), at bats (8th), games started (8th), multiple RBI games (8th) and multiple-hit games (10th). The Kansas City Royals selected Heineman in the 19th round of the 2014 Draft.
The Milwaukee Brewers selected Harber with pick No. 482 in the 16th round. The junior college transfer from Western Nevada College had 59 strikeouts in 55.2 innings with a 5.34 ERA in his only season with Oregon. He turned down Draft offers in 2013 and 2014 and fortunately for him his stock rose. He was a 38th round pick by the Baltimore Orioles after his freshman season at Western Nevada and a 40th round pick by the Tampa Bay Rays after his sophomore season.
The Pittsburgh Pirates drafted Irvin with pick No. 967 in the 32nd round. The redshirt sophomore didn’t have the season he had hoped for in 2015. Oregon’s Friday night starter finished with a 2-5 record and a 4.10 ERA with 44 strikeouts in 79 innings. As a freshman in 2013, Irvin went 12-3 with a 2.48 ERA while fanning 60 in 116 innings pitched. Irvin was previously drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 29th round of the 2012 draft. He will likely return to Oregon to play a full season uninhibited by injury before signing with an MLB team; Irvin was hindered by a pitch limit while recovering from Tommy John surgery in 2015.
The Los Angeles Dodgers drafted Kyle Garlick, a 2014 graduate from the University of Oregon, with pick No. 852 in the 28th round. Garlick, who played at Division II Cal Poly Pomona in 2015 while attending grad school, led the Broncos to the NCAA Division II College World Series semifinals batting .358 with 17 home runs and 56 RBI. Garlick is Oregon’s career triples leader and ranks sixth all-time with 155 games played at Oregon. He ranks top 10 in RBI (3rd), multiple-RBI games (3rd), at bats (7th), doubles (7th), walks (7th), multiple-hit games (8th) and hits (10th).
Garrett Cleavinger, Josh Graham and Mitchell Tolman were all drafted on Tuesday, day two of the MLB Draft.
35 Oregon baseball players have been drafted since 2009, and 54 all-time. None are currently playing in the Major League.
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