June 6, 2018
AUBURN, Ala. - Auburn baseball players Davis Daniel, Brendan Venter, Andrew Mitchell, Calvin Coker, Luke Jarvis and Brett Wright each heard their named called during the third day of this week's Major League Baseball Draft.
Along with Auburn's first ever No. 1 overall pick in Casey Mize, the seven Tigers taken in the draft are the most since having 11 players drafted in 2010 and are tied for the second most in program history.
Auburn has now had at least one player drafted in 44 consecutive MLB drafts dating back to the 1975 season, tied with Arkansas for the longest streak in SEC history. In three years under Butch Thompson, Auburn has had 17 players drafted, including five of which have been taken in the first six rounds of the draft.
Daniel was the first Tiger taken off the board in day three as he was selected by the Milwaukee Brewers in the 11th round with the No. 335 overall pick.
Daniel has served as both a starter and reliever in his two seasons on The Plains. The Montgomery native led the team with 16 starts a year ago and began his sophomore season as the Tigers' No. 2 option. However, he made a move to the bullpen during the second half of conference play and has posted a 2.70 ERA with 15 strikeouts in 10.0 innings of work during his last four relief appearances.
This is the second time Daniel has been drafted in his career. He was previously selected out of St. James High School by the Chicago Cubs in the 34th round of the 2016 MLB Draft.
Venter was the next Auburn player drafted as the Atlanta Braves claimed him in the 13th round with the No. 382 overall pick.
In his first season in an Auburn uniform, Venter has been one of the Tigers' biggest threats from the plate. Having played in all 63 games and earning 62 starts, Venter is tied for the team lead in hits (76) while ranking tied for second in home runs (12), third in batting average (.317) and doubles (15) and tied for fourth in RBI (45).
Mitchell followed Venter off the board as he was picked in the 14th round by the New York Mets with the No. 410 overall pick.
Mitchell has made 57 career appearances and has notched 11 career wins for the Tigers. In his final season on The Plains, the New Orleans, Louisiana, native has saved his best for last as the left-hander has turned in career numbers in ERA (4.30), runs allowed (23), strikeouts (58) and walks allowed (20). He turned in the best outing of his Auburn career in a win against his former team in LSU and graduated following the game.
Coker was the next Auburn pitcher to go. He was selected in the 15th round with the No. 443 overall pick by the Oakland Athletics.
Coker has been the team's most-used arm out of the bullpen in each of the last two seasons and has made 60 career appearances. Coker's 31 appearances a year ago ranked tied for third in the Southeastern Conference, and his 29 trips to the mound this year are tied for fourth. The senior right-hander has logged career highs in innings pitched (58.1) and strikeouts (54) this season.
Redshirt senior Luke Jarvis was selected in the 25th round by the Miami Marlin with the No. 747 overall pick.
Jarvis has manned the middle of the Auburn infield for the past two seasons and has helped the team set a program record for fielding percentage in back-to-back years. A native of San Diego, California, Jarvis was named to the SEC All-Defensive Team this season. Offensively, he has totaled career highs in runs (48), hits (56) and doubles (13). He has also matched last year's numbers in RBI (27) and stolen bases (seven).
Brett Wright was the sixth and final Tigers taken in the draft as he was selected in the 26th round with the No. 776 overall pick by the Toronto Blue Jays.
Wright has been arguably the best offensive catcher since the turn of the century in his first season with the Tigers. Ten of Wright's 11 home runs have come while he was behind the plate, which marks the most by an Auburn backstop since Casey Dunn hit 16 home runs from the catcher position in 1999. Wright is also tied for fourth on the team with 45 RBI and has thrown out nine would-be base stealers.
Five of Auburn's signees were also drafted. They were Blake Rivera (San Francisco, 4th round, No. 106 overall), Kason Howell (Boston, 20th round, No. 610 overall), Devin Warner (Arizona, 30th round, No. 909 overall), Ryan Bliss (Boston, 30th round, No. 910 overall) and Garrett Wade (Tampa Bay, 38th round, No. 1140 overall).