Four Trojans selected in 2014 MLB Draft

Following a bittersweet season that ended just short of a postseason berth, the USC baseball team received some validation last week in the form a successful showing at the 2014 MLB Draft. Four current Trojans, along with two 2015 recruits, were selected, doubling the team’s total from a year ago.

 

As he did on the mound for much of this season, junior right-handed pitcher Wyatt Strahan led the way for USC. The Trojans’ Friday night ace was a third-round selection of the Cincinnati Reds, and at 93rd overall became the program’s highest draft pick since 2009. Another junior RHP, Nigel Nootbaar, was USC’s next selection, going in the 12th round to the Baltimore Orioles. An excellent season for senior third baseman Kevin Swick was capped with a 22nd-round selection by the Chicago White Sox, while senior left-hander Bob Wheatley was picked up by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 26th round.

Given his rock-solid performance over the past three seasons, Strahan’s high selection came as no great surprise. As a freshman in 2012, the Villa Park, California native allowed only four earned runs in 22 appearances out of the bullpen. He finished the season with a 3-3 record and a miniscule 1.37 ERA in 26.1 innings. Strahan entered the starting rotation in 2013, making a statement in the tough Pac-12 with a 4-3 record in 12 starts. He also led the team with a 2.45 ERA in 80.2 innings pitched. Though Strahan was faced with high expectations going into his junior season, the hard-throwing righty mirrored his team and actually improved in many categories. In 15 starts Strahan managed career-highs in innings pitched (104.1), strikeouts (89), while posting a 6-5 record with a 3.28 ERA. His work garnered him Pac-12 Pitcher of the Week honors after a complete game shutout victory over Arizona and his first First Team All-Conference selection. Strahan, who has long impressed scouts with his 6-foot-3, 225-pound frame and mid-90s fastball, was a 27th-round pick of the Arizona Diamondbacks out of high school in 2011. Now he will have to choose between USC and the pros for the second time.

Nootbaar has been a strong presence out of the Trojan bullpen for the past three years. He made 14 appearances as a freshman in 2012, including four spot starts, and finished with a 1-3 record and a 3.31 ERA. In 2013 Nootbaar became USC’s go-to reliever, recording 38 strikeouts in 47.2 innings pitched. He was 2-6 with a 5.10 ERA in 20 appearances, including four more starts on the season, while also picking up three saves. The El Segundo, California native’s opportunities declined in 2014 with the emergence of sophomore standouts Brent Wheatley and Kyle Davis, but Nootbaar remained as effective as ever. In nine appearances he managed his lowest career ERA, 2.81, and struck out 14 batters in 16 innings pitched. Even with this decreased output, Nootbaar’s tools were impressive enough for a relatively high draft selection. He was also helped by impressive performances in both the Cape Cod and Alaskan Collegiate summer leagues.

Swick is perhaps the best story of any of the Trojans’ draftees. The former walk-on cracked the starting lineup only nine times as a freshman in 2011, but quickly turned his career around after a stint in the California Collegiate Summer League. He became a regular starter in 2012, hitting .258 with 23 RBIs. Swick made an even more dramatic improvement as a junior, bumping his batting average up to .305 while blasting two home runs and driving in 16 runs as USC’s regular third baseman. This season the senior provided experience and offensive consistency for a youthful Trojan squad, batting .299 with a career-high 24 RBIs. Swick’s impressive start to the season also earned him his first career Pac-12 Player of the Week award in early March. The La Canada, California native’s consistency with the bat was matched only by his consistency in the classroom, where he was a three-time Pac-12 All-Academic Honoree and USC’s first Capital One Academic First Team All-American. Swick, who was a business administration major and psychology minor, graduated this spring with a 3.83 GPA.

Rounding out USC’s 2014 draft picks was Wheatley, a senior southpaw who regularly took the mound on Saturdays and Sundays this year. Another Villa Park native, Wheatley spent his first two seasons as a valuable part of the Trojan bullpen. In 2011 he spent time learning the ropes of Division I baseball, recording a 6.39 ERA in 18 appearances.

Wheatley improved greatly as a sophomore, deflating his ERA to 3.46 and holding opponents to a .242 batting average in 26.2 innings pitched. Even after taking over the big stage as a Friday night starter in 2013, he continued his upward trajectory. Wheatley was 3-4 in 13 starts, but finished the season with a career-best 2.78 ERA and 38 strikeouts in 77.2 innings.

This season, Wheatley conceded his Friday-night spot to Strahan, but still provided valuable starting pitching depth for the Trojans. In 12 starts, Wheatley was once again 3-4, finishing his senior year with a 4.32 ERA and 34 strikeouts. Moving on to a resurgent Blue Jays franchise might be tough for Wheatley, as USC blood runs deep in his family. Bob was joined by his younger brother Brent on the Trojan pitching staff this year, while the pair’s father, Bob Sr., played basketball at USC.

The MLB draft is a tense time for college baseball coaches, and not just because of the potential loss of talented underclassmen such as Strahan. In order to evaluate their options and decide if forgoing college is the right choice for them, many high school recruits wait to sign letters of intent until after the draft. At a top-flight program such as USC, elite high school commits often choose to instead sign with a pro team, leaving coaches scrambling.

The Trojans have already been struck by this curse once this season, as Jake Gatewood, a shortstop from Clovis, California who issued a verbal commitment to USC, instead signed with the Milwaukee Brewers as the 41st overall pick. On the other hand, the Trojans actually benefitted from the struggles of another commit, pitcher Mitch Hart of Granite Bay, California. Hart failed to live up to expectations during his senior season, causing his draft stock to plummet from the third or fourth round to the 35th round. Now, conventional wisdom and a smaller signing bonus dictate that he will choose the college route. If Hart’s subpar senior year was a fluke, USC could have another ace waiting in the wings to replace those who leave to chase their MLB dreams.