| Amburgey slides into third in 2014. /Ben Albury Photo |
Six other players — Elliot Ashbeck, Ian Sagdal, Daniel Koger, PJ Jones, Kenny Towns and Danny Mendick — also heard their names called on Wednesday in the first 22 rounds.
Amburgey hit .327 in 34 games for the Mountaineers, starting in the All-Star game while also picking up player of the week honors. The JUCO outfielder returned to St. Petersburg and hit .301 with 13 stolen bases and was viewed as a potential power bat with speed on the base paths, earning him a 13th-round selection.
“It was a dream come true,” Amburgey said. “I had no idea what I to expect. Once I heard the pick, all the emotions started coming in. All the long days of hard work paid off. Still, the real work is just beginning.”
A lifelong Red Sox fan, Amburgey was slightly disappointed in the team he was heading to, but still overjoyed at the selection.
“Being a Red Sox fan, you would never dream of wearing anything that had a Yankee symbol on it. But honestly, they’ve treated me great. I would get texts from their scouts saying they were rooting for me in the draft. With all the history in the Yankees organization, it really is a blessing to be able to play for them.”
Amburgey piled up 10 multi-hit games in 2014, and went 1-for-1 with a RBI and a run scored at the league’s midsummer classic. He praised his summer in Vermont as pivotal in his progression as a player.
“Playing with the Mountaineers was the biggest help to prepare me for this moment,” he said. “I was able to face great competition, adjust some things in my game and develop mentally as a player. The Mountaineers will always have a big part in my success and I can’t thank them enough for all that they’ve done for me.”
He was also set to return to Vermont this summer, but general manager Brian Gallagher knew that was a long shot.
“We signed him just in case he wasn’t drafted, but we assumed he would go based on his talent,” Gallagher said. “He loved Vermont and was ready to come back this summer. Great kid.”
Strader was the lone two-year Mountaineer, pitching for the team in both 2013 and 2014. He had his 2014 summer cut short last year due to injury, but still compiled a nearly spotless record in 25 games out of the pen over two years. A 6-foot-5 southpaw, Strader had three saves and 32 strikeouts in 38 innings of work.
Ashbeck was selected in the 16th round (No. 477) by the San Diego Padres and 2014 teammate Ian Sagdal (No. 495th) came off the board in the same round to the Washington Nationals.
Ashbeck, a junior from Bradley, enjoyed one of the best seasons a Vermont starting pitcher has had in 2014. The right-hander made seven quality starts, throwing 45 innings while posting a 2.20 ERA. He also threw a pair of gems against rival Sanford, allowing a lone run over 14 innings against the Mainers while striking out six.
While in Vermont, Sagdal hit .253 as the team’s everyday first baseman.
“He was a lot of fun in the bus and in the dugout,” Gallagher said of the Washington State product. “He could throw his voice and you would swear someone in the opposite direction was calling you and you’d look around. It took whoever he was pranking a long time to determine who was doing it.”
Koger was selected in the 19th round (No. 557) by the Colorado Rockies, Jones in the 19th (No. 575) by the Seattle Mariners, Towns in the 20th (No. 615) by the Los Angeles Angels and Mendick in the 22nd (No. 652) by the Chicago White Sox.
Mendick was a surprise pick, but his name is very familiar to Mountaineers fans. The 5-9 infielder only played the last two weeks of the regular season for Vermont as they were low on players, but he came up huge in the second game of the divisional finals against Keene.
With two outs and a runner on third in the bottom of the ninth and the Mountaineers on the brink of elimination, Mendick stepped up and lined a walkoff single to force a decisive game three.
The deadline to sign a pro contract is July 17.
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