Detroit Selects Brett Pirtle In 23rd Round Of 2014 MLB Draft
STARKVILLE, Miss. – Mississippi State second baseman Brett Pirtle was selected by the Detroit Tigers in the 23rd round of the 2014 Major League Baseball Draft Saturday. The 700th overall pick became the fourth Diamond Dawg drafted this year, joining pitchers Jacob Lindgren (55th overall), Jonathan Holder (182nd), and Brandon Woodruff (326th).
The Tyler, Texas, native became the 142nd Bulldog chosen in the draft since its inception in 1965. After not being drafted out of high school, Pirtle attended Panola Junior College in Texas before playing two seasons in Starkville. The second-baseman is the fourth MSU player to be taken by the Tigers, joining Ken Tatum (6th round in 1966), Jody Hurst (10th round in 1989) and former teammate Daryl Norris (22nd round in 2013).
This season, Pirtle was voted second-team All-SEC by the 14 league coaches for the second-consecutive season after hitting a team-high .363 in 63 starts with 35 runs, 31 RBIs and 10 doubles. Defensively, the coaches named him to the SEC All-Defensive Team after breaking the school records for fielding percentage (.981), assists (211) and chances (321) at his position.
In his career, Pirtle reached base safely in 68 of his 70 career games against SEC opponents, including a conference record 63-straight games from March 23, 2013-May 22, 2014. Last season, the All-SEC performer was a member of the 2013 College World Series All-Tournament Team and was named to the NCAA Starkville Regional All-Tournament Team.
Fans can follow other Bulldogs likely to be selected in this week’s MLB Draft by searching for “HailStateBB” on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. All-Access coverage of the program can also be found on FanCred.
2014 Mississippi State MLB Draft Picks
|
PLAYER |
POS. |
ROUND (OVERALL) |
TEAM |
|
Jacob Lindgren |
LHP |
2 (55) |
New York Yankees |
|
Jonathan Holder |
RHP |
6 (182) |
New York Yankees |
|
Brandon Woodruff |
RHP |
11 (326) |
Milwaukee Brewers |
|
Brett Pirtle |
2B |
23 (700) |
Detroit Tigers |