June 15, 2017
Auburn baseball players Keegan Thompson, Jonah Todd, Daniel Robert and Gabe Klobosits each heard their name called during this week's Major League Baseball First Year Player Draft.
Thompson, a right-handed pitcher, was the first player drafted out of Auburn this week. He was selected by the Chicago Cubs in the third round with pick No. 105 and in doing so became the highest drafted Auburn pitcher since Steven Register in 2004 (pick No. 80).
Thompson, a redshirt junior, has gone 19-10 with a 2.46 ERA in 41 appearances (38 starts). Throwing 252 2/3 innings, he has struck out 210 while holding opponents to a .207 batting average.
This is the second time Thompson has been drafted after being picked in the 33rd round by the Detroit Tigers a year ago before returning to Auburn for the 2017 season.
Todd was a sixth round pick of the Los Angeles Angels, No. 175 overall. A junior outfielder who transferred to Auburn from Marion Military Institute prior to this season, he was a 2017 All-SEC Second Team and SEC All-Defensive Team selection. Batting mostly leadoff and playing centerfield, he hit .376 with 13 doubles, five triples and 56 runs scored and also had a .994 fielding percentage, which included a pair of outfield assists.
This is the first time Todd has been selected in his career.
Robert was picked in the 21st round by the Texas Rangers with pick No. 644 overall. Used as both a position player and pitcher during his four-year career at Auburn, he was a lifetime .283 hitter with 33 doubles, six triples, 11 home runs, 91 runs scored and 104 runs batted in. He was also 17-for-23 in stolen bases and fielded at a .991 clip. On the mound, he appeared in 14 games out of the bullpen, throwing 15.2 innings and striking out 15, earning a win and a save.
This is the first time Robert has been selected in his career.
Klobosits was the final player drafted, selected in the 36th round (No. 1,093) by the Washington Nationals. A right-handed pitcher who transferred to Auburn from Galveston College for his final two years, he appeared in 38 games for Auburn, making seven starts. In 77 innings of work, he struck out 64 and had a 4.91 ERA, finishing with a 3-6 win-loss mark.
This is the second time Klobosits has been drafted after also being selected by the Boston Red Sox in the 25th round in 2014.
Auburn has now had at least one player drafted in 43 consecutive MLB drafts, dating back to the 1975 season. That is tied with Arkansas for the longest streak in SEC history.
In the two years Butch Thompson has been Auburn's head coach, Auburn has had 10 players drafted, four of which have been taken in the first six rounds of the draft.
Six of Auburn's signees were also drafted. They were LHP Evan Steele (Kansas City Royals, CB Round B, No. 73 overall), C Steven Williams (New York Yankees, 35th Round, No. 1,052), RHP Ryan Hoerter (Pittsburgh Pirates, 36th Round, No. 1,078), SS/2B Edouard Julien (Philadelphia Phillies, 37th Round, No. 1,103), LHP Peyton Glavine (Angels, 37th Round, No. 1,105) and RHP Tanner Burns (Yankees, 37th Round, No. 1,112).