Palm Springs strengthened its reputation as a proving ground for elite college talent this past weekend, as five former POWER players were selected in the 2013 Major League Baseball Draft.
Outfielder Hank Yates (POWER 2011-12), infielder Adam Law (2012), catcher Alex DeLeon (2011), pitcher Thomas Taylor (2010), and catcher Joel Thys (2012) were selected between the 9th and 31st rounds.
Yates was the first to hear his name called, going to the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 9th round, 274th overall. Over two summers with Palm Springs, Yates hit .354 with one home run and 48 RBI in 66 games, leading the POWER to back-to-back championships. The 6’2, 190-pound senior batted .413 this season for Texas Wesleyan University.
Law will join Yates in the Dodgers organization. The BYU junior was taken in the 12th round, 364th overall. Law hit .292 with 18 RBI in 33 games for the POWER last summer. He also stole 21 bases and was caught stealing just twice. Law, the son of a MLB all-star and grandson of a Cy Young Award winner, led BYU with a .365 batting average and 14 stolen bases this year.
DeLeon was plucked by the St. Louis Cardinals in the 23rd round, 695th overall. The backstop hit .275 with 17 RBI in 30 games with the POWER in 2011. He led the team in doubles with 11 and allowed just two passed balls all season. The Kansas senior led the Jayhawks in nearly every offensive category this season, including batting average (.319), doubles (19), home runs (10), and RBI (46). He also led the team in fielding percentage with a .998 mark.
The Dodgers continued to showcase their affinity for POWER players, taking Taylor in the 26th round, 784th overall. The right-hander went 3-0 with a 2.45 ERA in 2010 with Palm Springs, working as both a starter and reliever. He allowed just 12 hits in 22 innings, striking out 16 while limiting opponents to a .158 batting average. Taylor contributed to a pitching staff that season that posted a 1.72 team ERA. In his senior year at Kansas, Taylor went 6-2 with a 2.33 ERA in 14 starts.
Thys, a senior at Arizona Christian University in Phoenix, won’t have to travel far to begin his professional career, going to the Arizona Diamondbacks in the 31st round, 930th overall. Thys hit .265 with 9 RBI in 15 games for the POWER last season. He batted .293 with 34 RBI for ACU this season.
These five players join a lengthy list of notable POWER alumni:
2006: Bryan Shaw – Cleveland Indians
2007: Ryan Wheeler – Colorado Rockies
2005: James Simmons – Sacramento RiverCats (Oakland Athletics AAA affiliate)
2004: Will Savage – Free Agent (LA Dodgers AAA affiliate in 2012)
2009: Tyler Saladino – Birmingham Barons (Chicago White Sox AA affiliate)
2010: Keenyn Walker – Birmingham Barons (Chicago White Sox AA affiliate)
2007: Matt Clark – Japanese Pro League
2006: Gabe Jacobo – Dunedin Blue Jays (Toronto Blue Jays Advanced-A affiliate)
2009: Jason Wheeler – Fort Myers Miracle (Minnesota Twins Advanced-A affiliate)
2010: Corey Black – Tampa Yankees (New York Yankees Advanced-A affiliate)
2011: Ryan Garvey – Grand Junction Rockies (Colorado Rockies Rookie affiliate)
