By the end of the night, three Florida baseball players could be on their way to making millions.
Foremost among them is A.J. Puk, the Gators’ left-handed starter who’s projected by many to be the first overall pick in tonight’s draft. With an assigned value of $9,015,000 for the No. 1 slot according to MLB.com, Puk could potentially have enough money left over from his contact to make eight of his teammates millionaires as well.
“As a hitter, you might wanna bunt," teammate Buddy Reed said of facing Puk. "And if you can’t do that, good luck.”
Reed and fellow pitcher Logan Shore could join Puk in the millionaire club, as they will also likely hear their names called on Thursday night as one of the first 77 picks.
But both of them come with caveats.
But when it comes to the draft, Shore’s accomplishments are dwarfed by Puk’s size — Puk is 6-foot-7 and throws in the high 90s. Despite being Florida’s Friday night starter for the past two years and the 2016 Southeastern Conference Pitcher of the Year, Shore is projected to go significantly later than his teammate because he doesn’t have the same raw tools, though his polished pitches and consistency have put him in the conversation as a late first-round pick.
Reed is the opposite.
Once thought of as a definite first-round pick, the outfielder's hitting has dipped this season. However, coach Kevin O’Sullivan said on Wednesday there’s reason for whichever team drafts him to be optimistic.
“Most players that leave college at 21 or so, they probably get close to their ceiling,” O’Sullivan said. “Buddy’s got — I don’t know where his ceiling’s at.”
Alonso heating up:
Peter Alonso will be watching the draft from his Tampa home.
The Florida first baseman could join his three teammates in the first 77 picks, but it’s far from certain.
“I just wanna be home, have a nice home-cooked meal and see what happens,” Alonso said.
Injuries have plagued Alonso throughout his career, the most recent coming this past May when he fractured his hand against Vanderbilt. But that injury — like the ones he suffered before it — didn’t slow him down.
He rebounded last weekend in Regionals, mashing three home runs and notching eight RBIs.
Scouts likely won’t read much into his hot weekend, but Alonso said it might make a difference.
“It can’t hurt it,” he said.
Mr. Irrelevant:
With the 1,216th pick of the 2013 MLB Draft, the Washington Nationals selected Shaun Anderson. That made him "Mr. Irrelevant," the nickname for the last player taken.
Anderson elected to forgo professional baseball to play for Florida instead.
Three years later, Anderson is anything but irrelevant.
The 6-foot-5 righty has established himself as UF's closer and has the team’s lowest ERA (1.05). He’s hoping that leads to a higher selection than last time.
“Just a couple (spots higher) would be nice,” he said.
Gators looking past draft:
O’Sullivan knows the draft is today, and he wants his players to enjoy the moment.
But come Saturday’s Super Regional game against Florida State, he said the moment needs to be left in the past. And that message has rubbed off on his players.
“I’m not really worried about it too much,” Anderson said of the draft.
Added Reed: “I’m excited for it, but I’m also excited for Super Regionals and beating Florida State."
It’s clear that for this team and for O’Sullivan, making it to the College World Series is as important a milestone as almost any other. And he’s helping the players treat it as such.
“Everybody knows that they’re 18 innings away from getting to Omaha, and there’s no other feeling like that, and everybody wants to get there in the worst way,” O’Sullivan said. “It’s our job and our responsibility to help these guys relax.”
Contact Ethan Bauer at ebauer@alligator.org and follow him on Twitter @ebaueri
A.J. Puk pitches during Florida's 7-2 loss to Miami on Feb. 21, 2015, at McKethan Stadium.
