Trio of RI Baseball Players Selected in MLB Draft
Tuesday, June 11, 2013
Three baseball players from the state of Rhode Island were selected in the Major League Baseball Draft this past weekend.
Thomas Pannone
Pannone, former Bishop Hendricken left-handed pitcher, was selected in the ninth round on Friday by the Cleveland Indians. Pannone pitched the Hawks to a state title in 2012, en route to being named First Team All-State. A native of Cranston, Pannone was selected in the 33rd round a year ago by the Chicago Cubs, but turned down Chicago's offer to play college baseball. Originally planning on attending the University of Miami, Pannone changed his plans and decided on the College of Southern Nevada, attending a junior college and making himself eligible for the Draft this year. If Pannone went to Miami, he would have had to wait until after his junior year to be eligible for the Draft again under NCAA rules.
Pannone was solid this season at Southern Nevada, compiling a record of 6-2 with a 1.84 earned run average. He also struck out an impressive 78 batters in just 53.2 innings pitched.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTJeff Roy
Roy, a former two-time First Team All-State selection at Bishop Hendricken, was selected in the 18th round by the Pittsburgh Pirates on Saturday. The outfielder from URI was the 2012 Atlantic 10 Player of the Year and was named a Second Team All-Conference selection this year. The Cranston native hit .285 this past season with 17 runs batted in, while reaching safely on all of his 30 stolen base attempts.
Nick Zammarelli
The Lincoln High School senior, Zammarelli was selected by the Boston Red Sox in the 28th round on Saturday. Zammarelli hit just under .500 this season, while scoring 25 runs in just 20 games and compiling an on-base percentage of just under .700. The third baseman was the only RI high school player to be taken in this year's draft. If he doesn't sign, Zammarelli will play baseball at Elon University next year.
The deadline for MLB teams to sign its draft picks is July 12.
