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The final day of the MLB Draft wrapped up on Wednesday, a day that saw three UConn baseball players taken.
Ace Mason Feole went first to the San Diego Padres in the 11th round, 232 overall. Center fielder/second baseman Michael Woodworth went to the Oakland Athletics in the 29th round, 884 overall while reliever CJ Dandeneau went to the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 37th round.
While Feole was expected to go higher, his numbers dropped as a junior. His ERA jumped from 2.50 as a sophomore to 4.09 while his average number of innings per outing fell. However, Feole missed the early part of the season due to a triceps injury which could have thrown his entire season off.
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Woodworth is coming off a strong senior season in which he led the team in hits and finished second in batting average and third in RBI. He’s also versatile, swapping between center field and second base this season. He is the first player in the Jim Penders Era to be selected by the Athletics.
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As a senior, Dandeneau made a big jump for the Huskies, going from being a bullpen filler to one of the most trusted arms on the staff. His ERA jumped from 4.97 to 2.50 and he doubled the number of innings he threw. Dandeneau closed his career with the second-most appearances in program history.
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In total, five Huskies were picked in this year’s draft. The Colorado Rockies selected closer Jake Wallace in the third round while the Minnesota Twins made shortstop Anthony Prato its seventh round pick.
The biggest surprise of the day was left field John Toppa going undrafted. The captain lead the team with a .326 batting average, ran the bases well and made more than a few highlight reel plays in left field.
Five selections from UConn is the third-most in a single draft since Penders took over, trailing 2008 (six players) and 2011, when a ridiculous 10 players were drafted. The last time a Husky wasn’t picked was 2003.