Story Links
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. Virginia baseball’s Jeremy Farrell (Jr., Westlake, Ohio), Pat McAnaney (Sr., Syracuse, N.Y.) and Michael Schwimer (Sr., Alexandria, Va.) were selected Friday in the 2008 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft.
Farrell was picked in the eighth round (234th overall) by Pittsburgh, while McAnaney (Sr., Syracuse, N.Y.) was taken in the eighth round (258th overall) by Arizona and Schwimer was selected in the 14th round (436th overall) by Philadelphia.
The group joins David Adams (Jr., Margate, Fla.), Greg Miclat (Jr., Concord, N.C.) and Jacob Thompson (Jr., Danville, Va.), who were selected Thursday in the draft. Adams was a third-round pick of the New York Yankees, Miclat was a fifth-round selection by Baltimore and Thompson was drafted in the fifth round by Atlanta.
With six selections, Virginia ties its record number of draft picks, matching the six from last season. Virginia has now had 75 players selected in the MLB Draft since its inception, including 22 over the last five years. It marks the program’s most draft picks ever over a five-year period.
Farrell is coming off his best season as a Cavalier. He led the team with career highs of 11 home runs and 54 runs batted in. He also batted a career-best .316 with 13 stolen bases.
Schwimer tied the Virginia single-season saves record this year after notching 14 saves. He finishes his Virginia career with 16 saves third in UVa history and 24th in ACC history. He also made 93 career appearances to rank second in the Virginia annals. He was named to the watch lists for the Dick Howser Trophy, NCBWA Stopper of the Year Award and Wallace Award this season.
McAnaney finished his UVa career with an 18-7 record. As a senior, he had his best season at Virginia, earning Second-Team All-ACC honors and earning a spot on the Golden Spikes and Wallace Award midseason watch lists.