Three Texas Tech Pitchers Taken in First 6 Rounds of MLB Draft
In round one of the MLB draft, Jace Jung was selected 12th overall by the Detroit Tigers. In the following two rounds, the Red Raiders were shut out on draft picks, then in the 4th round, business started picking up again.
Andrew Morris was off the board next, going to the Minnesota Twins organization in the fourth round. Morris was only in Lubbock for a single season but made his mark with multiple Big 12 awards and a shining stat line.
Up next was Brandon Birdsell, the Big 12 Pitcher of the Year, who will be joining fellow Red Raider Caleb Killian in the Chicago Cubs organization. Birdsell was shut down early last season but came back in a big way for his final season in Lubbock. The scouts love his velocity and demeanor and think he can make quick work in the Minor Leagues as a developed and polished prospect.
The entire final rotation was drafted when Chase Hampton was taken off the board in the sixth round by the New York Yankees. Hampton is the youngest of the three as a draft-eligible sophomore and probably owns the most potential of the three. Hampton can kiss 98 MPH and the Yankees want to make that a consistent reality. Hampton also excels at getting swinging strikes and is a strike-out machine when he's on throwing his slider for strikes.
The Red Raiders rotation all getting drafted in the top six rounds led some to wonder about all the consternation from a segment of the fan base that wanted to fire Texas Tech's pitching coach through Big 12 Play when the team was winning six out of eight series.
Rough day for those people.