Clemson 2004 Baseball Draftee Update

by Dan Scott - Correspondent - Mon Apr 18 16:08:02 GMT-04:00 2005

As the 2005 professional baseball season gets underway, and with college baseball approximately halfway through its schedule, a question has arisen.

What has become of the former Clemson players who were taken in the June 2004 Major League Baseball draft? Naturally, we had to find out.

A school-record nine players were drafted by Major League clubs last June. It began with lefthander Tyler Lumsden, taken 34th overall by the Chicago White Sox as a compensation pick between the first and second rounds.

Lumsden pitched 15 games for the Sox high Class A team in Winston-Salem, N.C., following the draft, where he posted a record of 3-1 with a 4.12 ERA (31 strikeouts, 20 walks in 39 innings.

Lumsden is expected to open this season with Winston-Salem, as well.

Next on the draft board were a pair of fourth-rounders - Colin Mahoney to Detroit and Lou Santangelo to Houston.

Mahoney, primarily a catcher at Clemson but drafted as a pitcher, began last season at Rookie A Level Oneonta, N.Y. He was 1-0 with a 4.94 ERA and two saves in 21 appearances. Mahoney struck out 31 and walked 32 in 31 total innings. He will begin this season at Low A West Michigan.

Meanwhile, Santangelo struggled with a .201 average for Houston's Rookie A team in Troy, N.Y. (Ti -Cities). He hit six homers and drove in 20 runs, but struck out 58 times in 164 at-bats. Santangelo opens this season at Low A Lexington (Ky.).

The other Clemson players drafted include:

- Brad McCann, 6th round, Florida Marlins. McCann will be at Low A Greensboro this season. Last year with Jamestown (N.Y.) he hit .277 over 29 games, finishing with three home runs and 12 RBI.

- Steven Jackson, 10th round to Arizona. Jackson will begin this season a Low A South Bend (Ind.). Last season he finished by 1-0 with a 4.56 ERA in 9 games at Yakima, Wa. His first seven games as a professional were spent at Missoula, Montana, where he was 0-1 with a 3.60 ERA.

- Pitcher Patrick Hogan played 25 games for Low A Jamestown (N.Y.) last year, finish 0-2 with a 4.45 ERA.He struck out 29 and waked 13 in 28 innings. Hogan is expected back at Jamestown to begin the season.

- Outfielder Zane Green was taken in the 44th round by the Chicago Cubs. He has since been released.

- Tony Sipp, lefthanded pitcher, was drafted in the 45th round by Cleveland. In 10 games at Mahoning Valley (Niles, Ohio), Sipp was 3-1 with a 3.16 ERA, striking out 74 and walking 13 in 42 2/3 innings. Sipp will start this season at Low A Lake County (East Lake, Ohio).

One other player, junior Garrick Evans, was drafted in the 25th round by Kansas City. But Evans turned down the Royals and transferred from Clemson.

He is playing his senior year at San Diego State.

Dan Scott covers Clemson University for the The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Seneca Daily Journal/Clemson Messenger and TigerNet. He also hosts SportsTalk from 9 a.m.-Noon, Monday-Friday, on WCCP-Fm, 104.9. Click here for Dan Scott's SportsTalk discussion board.