Walters, Taylor Selected in 2018 Major League Baseball Draft
6/5/2018 6:15:00 PM | Baseball
Walters went in the ninth round with Taylor coming off the board in the 10th
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Alabama baseball had two members of the 2017-18 roster selected on Tuesday afternoon in the 2018 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft. Senior starter Jake Walters was taken by the Miami Marlins in round nine (267 overall) and was followed by junior outfielder Chandler Taylor, who was taken by the Houston Astros in the 10th round (312 overall) as a left fielder. With the two selections on Tuesday, Alabama has now had at least one player selected 40 consecutive years dating back to 1979 and 47 of the 53 MLB drafts overall.Â
Also taken on Tuesday was Alabama commit Patrick "P.J." Hilson. The high schooler was selected in round six (166 overall) by the San Francisco Giants.
The 2018 MLB First-Year Player Draft began on Monday evening and will continue through Wednesday.
Jake Walters (9th Round | 267 Overall | Miami Marlins)
Walters, the Tide's Saturday starter in his final season, made 14 starts during the 2018 campaign and finished tied for the team lead in wins with four, including one complete game shutout. His complete game shutout came against Ole Miss in the final start of his career, where held the then fourth-ranked Rebels to only four hits while recording seven strikeouts to earn SEC Pitcher of the Week honors. Walters led the team in strikeouts with 82, while ranking 12th in the conference in that category in 2018. He sported a team-low 2.89 ERA (20 ER/62.1 IP) in conference play, which placed him fifth among SEC pitchers.
During the 2017 season, Walters finished 5-5 with a 3.98 ERA (32 ER/72.1 IP), a total that was the lowest by the Tide's regular starting pitchers. The right-hander ranked second on the team and first among UA starters in strikeouts with 64 and innings pitched.
Walters put together a standout sophomore season, finishing 5-4 with a 2.67 ERA (25 ER/84.1 IP) and a team-leading 84 strikeouts compared to only 35 walks. He improved in conference play, maintaining a league-low 1.93 ERA (13 ER/60.2 IP) with 51 strikeouts compared to 21 walks while liming the opposition to two or fewer earned runs in nine of his 10 conference outings. Walters' 25 earned runs allowed tied for the fourth-fewest allowed by an SEC arm and his 2.67 ERA ranked seventh among league pitchers during his second season with the Tide.
As a freshman, Walters began his Alabama career in a reliever role before moving into the starter slot, first on Tuesdays and then eventually on Saturdays. The Maylene, Ala., native finished his first season at UA with a 4-4 record and one save across 15 appearances (10 starts) and maintained a 3.36 ERA (21 ER/56.1 IP).
Walters held an 18-18 record and a 3.42 ERA (112 ER/295.0 IP) across 58 appearances – 52 of which were starts – in his four seasons at UA. His 52 career starts ties for first in the Alabama career annals, while he finished his career ranked third in strikeouts with 292. Walters totaled 295.0 total innings at the Capstone to sit at fourth on the all-time innings pitched list, while facing 1,292 batters across that span – a total that also ranks fourth. Across his four seasons as a starter, he did not allow more than three walks in 40 of his 52 outings and struck out five or more batters in 33 career starts.
Chandler Taylor (10th Round | 312 Overall | Houston Astros)
A power bat, Taylor finished the 2018 campaign with a team-high 13 home runs to rank eighth in the Southeastern Conference during the regular season. The junior paced the Crimson Tide with 38 walks to tie for fifth in the conference, totaling 20 of those free passes in league play.
Taylor wrapped up his sophomore season as the team leader in seven offensive categories including: home runs (16), RBI (34), runs (39), walks (32), stolen bases (7-11), slugging percentage (.601) and total bases (113). His numbers also placed him among league leaders, ranking third in home runs, fifth in slugging and ninth overall in total bases during the regular season. The Montgomery, Ala., native's numbers earned him Second Team All-SEC recognition as an outfielder at season's end.
He shined in his first year at Alabama, earning All-SEC Freshman Team honors in the outfield after starting all 56 games he played in, including 29 against SEC competition. Taylor recorded nine home runs to rank second on the Tide while adding a team-high 40 walks. In SEC action, he led the Tide in average (.295), RBI (25), extra-base hits (16), total bases (63), walks (24), slugging (.600) and on-base (.435) percentage.
A three-year starter at Alabama, Taylor has been a force in the middle of the Crimson Tide lineup. He has totaled 38 career home runs to tie for ninth all-time at UA while collecting 102 RBI and adding 101 runs scored during three years in Tuscaloosa. The left-handed slugger also ranks sixth in program records for career walks with 110 to his name.
All undergraduate players are eligible to return to the University to continue their careers at Alabama if they elect to not sign a professional contract.
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