MORGANTOWN — WVU’s hard-throwing right-hander Carlson Reed was drafted in the fourth round Monday by the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Following Reed, the Toronto Blue Jays selected WVU outfielder Braden Barry in the eighth round.
Combined they became the 36th and 37th players from WVU to be drafted since Randy Mazey took over the program in 2013.
Reed was the Mountaineers’ closer this season, and it was the best collegiate season of his career.
He led the Mountaineers, who reached the NCAA tournament and finished 40-20, with seven saves and struck out 60 over 38 innings pitched. He was 2-1 with a 2.61 ERA.
He was an all-Big 12 first-team selection.
Barry batted .290 this season with eight home runs, 44 RBIs and 24 stolen bases. The Louisville, Ky. native played in 149 games at WVU over three seasons and hit .282 with 14 home runs and 76 RBIs.
“Way to Go Bare!!!!” Mazey tweeted. “You’re a Blue Jay. It is so cool to see these guys realize step 1 of their dreams. You were a great Mountaineer, blessed to be around you for 3 years.”
Barry was an all-Big 12 second-team selection.
Reed’s dominance out of the bullpen this season came after Mazey had experimented with him as a starter early in his career.
With a fastball that usually surpassed 95 mph and a changeup that often befuddled hitters, the Marietta, Ga. native seemed destined as a star in a starter’s role, yet he never was able to gain full command of the strike zone.
Reed’s scouting report on MLB.com put it this way: “Ever since Reed arrived at West Virginia, he’s shown both an ability to miss a lot of bats and a difficulty in finding the strike zone. With a longer arm action, Reed’s biggest obstacle is his command, as he’s put up big walk rates everywhere, including as a starter in the Cape Cod League last summer.”
Over his three seasons at WVU, Reed walked 64 batters over 110 innings.
“Congrats to Carlson Reed!” Mazey tweeted. “People have no idea how hard he has worked the past 3 years to make this happen. Very well deserved and I am very proud of him!”
Reed was the No. 104th overall selection in the draft and was ranked by MLB.com as the 196th-best prospect. The approximate pick value is $646,900 at the spot Reed was selected.
Barry was the No. 244th overall selection, with a pick value approximated at $194,600.
Reed pitched in two games for the West Virginia Black Bears this summer prior to the draft and also competed in the draft combine in Phoenix last month.
Barry played in seven games for the Black Bears and batted .346.
Marshall pitcher Patrick Copen was drafted in the seventh round by the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Copen, a 6-foot-6 right-handed pitcher from Belpre, Ohio, went 2-9 this season with a 5.82 ERA. He struck out 83 hitters over 72 innings. He was a high school standout at Parkersburg Catholic.
Outfielder Devin Saltiban became the highest draft pick in Black Bears history when he was chosen 98th overall in the third round by the Philadelphia Phillies. Saltiban, from Hilo, Hawaii, appeared in 11 games with six runs, 11 hits and two home runs. One of six players from the league invited to the MLB Draft Combine, Saltiban averaged .262 in 42 at-bats with a .354 OBP.
Also selected was Black Bears’ left-hander Zach Thornton in the fifth round by the New York Mets. The lefty from Grand Canyon University posted a 1-0 record in two games with a 3.60 ERA and a 1.40 WHIP. Thornton notched 12 strikeouts in 10.0 innings on the mound.
The amateur draft concludes Tuesday with rounds 11-20.
TWEET @bigjax3211
