McLean Picked First by Orioles in Third Round and Joining Jackson Holliday
STILLWATER – The second day of the MLB First-Time Player Draft was a busy day for Oklahoma State players as six Cowboys saw their name called including the first pick of the day.
Including Justin Campbell on Sunday, the seven draft picks in the first 10 rounds set an OSU program record. The previous record was five players drafted in the first 10 rounds, which occured in 1984, 2008 and 2016.
In what was a little bit of symmetry to the first day on Sunday, Monday’s first pick in the third-round went to the Baltimore Orioles and it was Oklahoma State third baseman and right-handed pitcher Nolan McLean. On Sunday the Orioles with the first pick in the draft took Stillwater High School shortstop Jackson Holliday. The national high school record holder for most hits in a 40-game season with 89, Holliday is the son of former Major League All-Star and Oklahoma State volunteer coach Matt Holliday. It is a strong possibility that in the last two-years the player that Matt Holliday has worked with on hitting the most other than Jackson and his younger brother Ethan then it would be Nolan McLean.
McLean (6-3, 205) was a feast or famine hitter early in the season and he finished the year hitting .285 with 69 hits, 16 doubles, a triple, 19 home runs and many of those were tape measure shots. He had 47 RBI and a .595 slugging percentage. However, he led the team in striking out with 107. It was a month and a half into the season that Holliday told me he broke McLean down and built him back up and that was when the big home runs started coming off the bat of the North Carolina native. As a pitcher he closed part of the season and finished with a 4.97 ERA. He was 2-1 with five saves. In 25.1 innings pitched he allowed 20 hits, 17 runs, walked 13, and struck out 39, so an average of close to 1.5 hitters struck out per inning. Opponents only hit .206 off McLean.
Late in the third round with the 104th pick in the draft the Tampa Bay Rays took Trevor Martin. The 6-3, 238-pound right-handed reliever out of Asher, Okla. was the closer the early part of the season and started some key games in the postseason. He finished with a 4.75 ERA and a 4-3 record with nine saves. Martin threw 47.1 innings and allowed 40 hits and 26 runs. He walked 22 hitters and struck out 79. Opponents only hit .226 off Martin.
In the fifth round with the 178th pick the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim selected pitcher Victor Mederos. A transfer this season from Miami, Fla. where the 6-2, 227-pound right-hander was originally from, Mederos was a starter most of the season and finished with a 5.59 ERA and a 6-3 record. He had some injury issues and pitched in 14 games and 13 of those were starts. With 66 innings pitched he allowed 69 hits and 44 runs. He walked 21 hitters and struck out 62. Opponents hit .266 off Mederos.
In the seventh round with the 208th selection the Angels grabbed another Cowboy hurler in reliever Roman Phansalkar. Phansalkar (6-1, 195) is a Tommy John surgery pitcher that developed a strong sinker. He was the set-up man most of the season and earned All-Big 12 honors. He finished after pitching in 29 games with a 3.46 ERA and a 6-3 record. He pitched 54.2 innings and allowed 45 hits and 29 runs with 22 walks and 45 strike outs. Opponents hit .222 off Phansalkar.
In the eighth round with the 240th pick in the draft the San Diego Padres went after home run power and Northern Kentucky transfer Griffin Doersching. Doersching, with his power and tape measure home runs became a fan favorite despite missing a month of the season with a broken foot. Doersching is 6-4, 251-pounds and he hit .296 with 47 hits, 29 runs, and 15 home runs despite missing those games in most of March and into early April. He added 13 doubles and a key triple in a win at Vanderbilt. He had 58 RBI and a team leading .673 slugging percentage.
Finally, in the ninth round with the 274 selection the Oakland Athletics took outfielder Caeden Trinkle. The 5-10, 187-pound speedster that was capable of some defensive gems in center field hit .302 with 55 hits and 44 runs scored. He had eight doubles, two triples, and six home runs. He knocked in 41 runs.