NEW YORK — Another Rocket is headed to Toronto. ADVERTISING NEW YORK — Another Rocket is headed to Toronto. The Blue Jays selected University of Texas first baseman Kacy Clemens — son of Roger — in the eighth round of
NEW YORK — Another Rocket is headed to Toronto.
The Blue Jays selected University of Texas first baseman Kacy Clemens — son of Roger — in the eighth round of the Major League Baseball draft on Tuesday.
The younger Clemens hit .305 for the Longhorns this season, along with a team-leading 12 home runs and 49 RBIs. There could be another Clemens taken Wednesday when the draft wraps up with rounds 11-40: Kacy’s younger brother Kody, a redshirt-sophomore shortstop who hit .241 with five homers and 23 RBIs for Texas.
Roger Clemens was the No. 19 overall pick by Boston in 1983 and later pitched two seasons for the Blue Jays. His oldest son, Koby, was an eighth-round selection of Houston in 2005 and is currently a coach in the Astros organization.
Clemens wasn’t the only familiar name taken during the draft’s second day.
University of Florida shortstop Dalton Guthrie, son of former major league reliever Mark Guthrie, was picked by Philadelphia in the sixth round. The younger Guthrie is hitting .272 with four homers and 22 RBIs for the College World Series-bound Gators.
Clemson outfielder Chase Pinder, brother of Oakland second baseman Chad Pinder, was selected by St. Louis in the second round.
Buddy Kennedy, a third baseman from Millville High School in New Jersey who was taken in the fifth round by Arizona, is the grandson of former All-Star Don Money.
One player who has gone undrafted so far and slipped significantly is Oregon State left-hander Luke Heimlich, who asked to be excused from the team last weekend after a story detailing his criminal history was reported by The Oregonian/Oregon Live last Thursday. Heimlich, originally projected as a third- or fourth-round pick, pleaded guilty as a teenager five years ago to molesting a 6-year-old girl.
Heimlich was 11-1 with a 0.76 ERA for top-ranked Oregon State, which will play in the College World Series without him.
The New York Mets drafted two-thirds of Stanford’s starting outfield, taking Quinn Brodey in the third round and Matt Winnaker in the fifth. Of the Mets’ first 10 picks, nine are college players — the lone exception being second-rounder Mark Vientos, a third baseman from American Heritage High School in Florida.
The Yankees have gone mound heavy in the opening 10 rounds, taking nine pitchers among those picks — including eight from the college ranks.
Rounds 3-10 were held via conference calls with teams, with Minnesota righty Brian Glowicki wrapping up the day as pick No. 315 by the Cubs.
The first two rounds were Monday night at MLB Network studios, leading off with Minnesota taking California high school shortstop Royce Lewis at No. 1.
