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Baseball Factory Alumni Succeeding in First Taste of Pro Ball: Rounds 16-20

With the MLB First Year Player Draft almost two months in the rearview, players who were once high school and college phenoms are now professional baseball players. In rounds 16-20, 37 Baseball Factory alumni were chosen.

Let’s take a look at some of the players who have gotten off to promising starts of their young pro careers.


Brett Barbier: Philadelphia Phillies (16th round, 467 overall), DH

Coming out of Cal Poly State, Brett Barbier is performing well with the Short-Season-A affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies. The 22-year-old is slashing .302/.362/.509 in 16 games, most of which at designated hitter.

Baseball Factory coaches saw Barbier at a 2011 College PREP in San Jose, California.

 

Ben Wright: Chicago White Sox (16th round, 476 overall), RHP

In his first season of pro ball, Ben Wright dominated rookie ball in the White Sox organization (0.00 ERA, 7.1 IP) before being promoted to Low-A Kannapolis. With Kannapolis, the 22-year-old owns a 2.25 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 5.50 SO/BB ratio.

Baseball Factory coaches saw Wright twice in 2010, once at a College PREP in Cedar Hill, Texas, and once at the Arizona Junior Fall Classic.

Devan Watts: Atlanta Braves (17th round, 499 overall), RHP

The former Tusculum College standout is continuing his collegiate success in pro ball. After four shutout innings in rookie ball, the 21-year-old was promoted to Atlanta’s Short-Season-A affiliate, Rome. On the season, Watts is 1-1 with a 1.42 ERA and a 0.79 WHIP.

Watts participated in a National Tryout in Gaffney, South Carolina in 2012.

Weston Wilson: Milwaukee Brewers (17th round, 501 overall), UTIL

In 31 games for one of Milwaukee’s rookie ball teams, Weston Wilson has produced with the bat while also playing four positions in the field. Mostly playing third base and second base, the former Clemson standout is slashing .304/.379/.470 with 13 extra base hits with 19 RBI.

Wilson first attended a 2011 National Tryout in Charlotte, North Carolina. In 2012, Wilson played in both the Team One South Showcase before playing in the Under Armour All-America Preseason Tournament in 2013.

Jake Winston: Arizona Diamondbacks (17th round, 509 overall), RHP

So far in his first season of professional baseball, Jake Winston is proving why the Arizona Diamondbacks drafted him in the 17th round of June’s MLB Draft. The righty owns a 1.80 ERA and a 1.00 WHIP with 23 strikeouts in 20 innings pitched with Arizona’s Short-Season-A affiliate, Hillsboro.

Winston attended a 2011 College PREP in Jackson, Mississippi, and the Under Armour Southeast Regional Tournament in 2011.

Zack Short: Chicago Cubs (17th round, 524 overall), SS

Zack Short hit .318, stole five bases and knocked in eight runs in his first 14 games of pro ball with Chicago’s rookie ball team. Following his impressive first two weeks, Short was promoted to Short-Season-A Eugene. On the season, Short owns an .821 OPS with 21 walks compared to only 14 strikeouts.

Baseball Factory coaches saw Short at a 2012 National Tryout in Loch Sheldrake, New York.

Robert Dugger: Seattle Mariners (18th round, 537 overall), RHP

After giving up only run one in 8.2 innings pitched with Seattle’s rookie league team, Robert Dugger was moved all the way up to Triple-A Tacoma. The 20-year-old has thrown two scoreless innings so far with the Triple-A club.

Dugger first attended a 2011 National Tryout in Houston, Texas. In 2012, Dugger played in the 2012 Under Armour All-America Preseason Tournament, the Team One West Showcase, the Team One South Showcase and the Team One Texas Showcase.

Shane Sawczak: Miami Marlins (19th round, 563 overall), LHP

Shane Sawczak is 1-1 with a 1.74 ERA in 11 appearances with Miami’s Short-Season-A affiliate, Batavia. In 20.2 innings, the lefty has struck out 19 batters.

Sawczak first played in the 2012 Under Armour Memorial Classic before playing in the Under Armour Memorial Day Classic in 2013.

Mark Karaviotis: Arizona Diamondbacks (19th round, 569 overall), SS

Splitting his time with Arizona’s rookie ball and Short-Season-A affiliates, Mark Karaviotis is continuing the success he had at the University of Oregon. The shortstop is slashing .324/.519/.368 for a .979 OPS. Karaviotis is walking more than he is striking out (18 to 15) and has driven in 15 runs.

Karaviotis participated in a 2012 College PREP in Kapolei (Honolulu), Hawaii. He also played in the USA Baseball 17U Championships in 2012.

Matt Foster: Chicago White Sox (20th round, 596 overall), RHP

Matt Foster is having a good start to his pro career with Chicago’s rookie ball team. The righty owns a 1.17 ERA, 0.98 WHIP and 11.7 SO/9. In 15.1 innings pitched, Foster has struck out 20 batters while only allowing four walks.

Baseball Factory coaches first saw Foster at a 2012 National Tryout in Hoover (Birmingham), Alabama. He also played in the Under Armour All-America Preseason Tournament in 2013.

Eric Filia: Seattle Mariners (20th round, 597 overall), OF

Eric Filia was named to the All-Star Game in only his first season of pro ball. The 23-year-old outfielder is slashing .316/.416/.451 for an .867 OPS with 30 RBI, six doubles, four home runs and seven stolen bases. In 162 plate appearances, Filia has walked 24 times with only nine strikeouts.

Baseball Factory coaches saw Filia at a National Tryout in Costa Mesa, California, in 2009, as well as the Ryan Lemmon Foundation Showcase in 2009. Filia also attended a 2010 College PREP in Costa Mesa, California.

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Read how Baseball Factory player Chris Givin realized his dream of playing collegiate baseball at Xavier University by utilizing the College PREP Program
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The video definitely had an impact.”
Division I Head Coach on player Chris Givin

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