In the midst of all the news surrounding first-round pick Josh Fields, the Mariners did make five additional selections on the first day of the MLB Draft. Here is a rundown of today’s other new Mariners:
2nd Round (66th Overall)
Dennis Raben, OF, Miami
Raben was once thought to be one of the top power hitters in the draft after a fantastic performance in the Cape Cod League, but back issues slowed his progress during the college season. He still put up decent numbers, but took a slight step backward over the last couple of months. He has the ability to hit the ball over 400 feet without much effort. He’s projected as an average corner outfielder defensively, but a potential 40+ HR guy. Raben’s skills will be on display in the Super Regionals of the NCAA Tournament for the top-ranked Hurricanes. Here are his key stats this season:
47 GP, .302 AVG (52-for-172), 9 HR, 47 RBI, .411 OBP, .535 SLG, 8 A
3rd Round (98th Overall)
Aaron Pribanic, RHP, Nebraska
Pribanic started 12 games for the Huskers and made 17 appearances overall. He was used almost exclusively as the Huskers’ Sunday starter. The transfer from Hutchinson Community College in Kansas is the grandson of former MLB All-Star Jim Coates. Here are Pribanic’s season stats:
17 G, 12 GS, 74.1 IP, 78 H, 39 ER, 32 BB, 59 K, 4 HR, .270 BAA, 3-4 W-L, 4.72 ERA
4th Round (132nd Overall)
Steven Hensley, RHP, Elon
Hensley was the Southern Conference Pitcher of the Year and a Third-Team All-American. He was previously drafted by the Nationals in the 44th round in 2005 but he opted for college at the time. Hensley holds Elon’s career record in strikeouts with 302, and is 24-12 in his college career. Here are his season stats:
15 GS, 92.2 IP, 82 H, 37 ER, 38 BB, 99 K, 10 HR, .236 BAA, 10-2 W-L, 3.59 ERA
5th Round (162nd Overall)
Brett Lorin, RHP, Long Beach State
Lorin is a 6’-7”, 245-pound transfer from Arizona who made 15 appearances for the Dirtbags this year. He only threw nine innings at Arizona in 2007 and redshirted in 2006, so he hasn’t had a lot of work over the last three years. His season stats:
15 G, 8 GS, 48.1 IP, 38 H, 14 ER, 14 BB, 31 K, 4 HR, .220 BAA, 5-3 W-L, 2.61 ERA
6th Round (192nd Overall)
Jarrett Burgess, Florida Christian School (HS)
Burgess is a 6’2” right fielder from Florida Christian School in Miami. Burgess will join other FCS alums Ricky Orta and Denny Almonte in the Mariners system. More info about Burgess when it becomes available.