The Rockies opened the Major League draft with three picks Monday, selecting Ole Miss left-handed pitcher Ryan Rolison, high school first baseman Grant Lavigne and Texas A&M right-hander Mitchell Kilkenny.
Here are the Rockies’ picks for Tuesday’s second day of the draft, which is Rounds 3 through 10:
Third round, No. 96 overall — Terrin Vavra, Minnesota, SS, 6-foot, 190 pounds
The 21-year-old fromMenomonie, Wis., paced Minnesota with a .393 average, 10 homers and 59 RBIs this year and rebounded from a stress fracture in his back that sidelined him for most of his freshman year in 2016 and He comes from a baseball family, considering his brothers also played professional baseball and his father,Joe Vavra, is currently the quality control coach for the Detroit Tigers.
Fourth, No. 126 —Ryan Feltner, Ohio State, RHP, 6-4, 190
ACuyahoga Falls, Ohio, native who was the state’s Gatorade player of the year in 2015,Feltner was 5-5 with a 4.52 ERA in 16 starts for the Buckeyes this season, striking out 86 batters in 91 2/3 innings. His fastball sits between 93-95 mph and tops out at 98, and that, paired with a deceiving changeup, makes for plenty of upside with the 21-year-old who was theCape Cod League’s most outstanding reliever last summer.
Fifth, No. 156 —Jacob Bird, UCLA, RHP, 6-3, 200
After going undrafted as a junior last season because of a shoulder injury, the Newhall, Calif., native bounced back this spring for the Bruins to the tune of a7-4 record and 2.18 ERA. His fastball registers in the low 90s, and he also boasts an effective slider.
Sixth, No. 186 —Niko Decolati, Loyola Marymount, 3B, 6-1, 215
A Boulder native,Decolati hit.271 with six homers and 21 RBIs for the Lions as a junior this year. He has been on scouts’ radar since earning theSouthern Nevada player of the year award in 2015, and he hit over .300 in both his freshman and sophomore seasons at Loyola.
Seventh, No. 216 —Andrew Quezada, Cal State Fullerton, RHP, 6-1, 182
Quezada was 4-5 with a 3.90 ERA for the Titans in 14 total starts this year, striking out58 batters in83 innings. Before that, the righty pitched for two seasons atCypress (Calif.) College. At that junior college, he dazzled in his second season, throwing the school’s first no-hitter and posting a1.17 ERA.
Eighth, No.246 — Nick Bush, Louisiana State, LHP, 5-11, 173
Used mostly out of the LSU bullpen this season, the sophomore fromLeesburg, Ga., posted a3.40 ERA in 47 2/3 innings. The fastball registers in the low 90s, and the out pitch is a late-breaking curve for a southpaw who underwent Tommy John surgery in 2016.
Ninth, No. 276 — Willie MacIver, Washington, C, 6-2, 205
MacIver returned midway through the college season after suffering an injured hamate in his hand, and though he was drafted as a catcher, he made the majority of his starts over the past couple of years at third base, so he’s an adaptable infielder. As a sophomore last season, he earned all-Pac-12 honorable mention honors and was the only Husky to start every game. The 21-year-old has also been a Cape Cod League all-star.
Tenth, No. 306 —Cade Harris, Oklahoma, 3B, 6-2, 195
As a junior this season, Harris led the Sooners with 23 doubles while hitting.276. With a keen sense of the zone, Harris also drew an OU-high62 walks this year and led the team in on-base percentage in 2017 at .454. He is aLeona, Texas, native who competed in theAlaska Baseball League last summer.
Footnotes. After the conclusion of the second day of the draft, Rockies vice president of scoutingBill Schmidt noted thatDecolati would probably move to a corner outfielder position but that the team would also give him a look at third base. … Schmidt said Harris, too, is projected to be an outfielder, a position he played quite a bit in Norman. … Schmidt noted MacIver would play both third and catcher but that the Rockies hope to groom him behind the plate, saying, “He caught in the Cape Cod League last summer, we liked what we saw, and it’s something we want to try to develop.”
