FIU’s Patrick Pridgen among local players selected on the final day of the MLB Draft
FIU baseball standout Patrick Pridgen, a 6-4, 220-pound right-hander, said he heard from every team in the majors “except one or two” before he finally got drafted by the Detroit Tigers in the 15th round on Tuesday.
Pridgen was one of 18 players with Miami-Dade/Broward ties to get selected in the 2022 MLB Draft, which began on Sunday and concluded on Tuesday. That count does not include two Miami Hurricanes recruits from outside of South Florida who were selected in the first two days of the 20-round draft.
“It’s a long process,” Pridgen said of the draft. “I started getting calls even before the draft. I heard from teams who wanted to draft me in the fourth or fifth round.”
Those calls were designed to get Pridgen to sign for under the slotted value for the round in order to then go “over slot” for other players they valued.
Pridgen and his advisors resisted those bids, and they waited until a franchise came through with the signing bonus they were seeking. That organization was the Tigers, and Pridgen said he is keen on what he views as Detroit’s pitching greatness, ticking off names of Cy Young Award-winners such as Justin Verlander, Max Scherzer, David Price and Rick Porcello. All four of them have played for the Tigers in recent years.
The current Tigers roster includes pitcher Casey Mize, the first overall pick in the 2018 MLB Draft.
“It’s an organization that pumps out high-level pitchers,” Pridgen said. “The organization is young and moving forward. Hopefully I can push them to where they want to be, which is at the top of the game.”
Pridgen, 23, was the only FIU player selected in this year’s draft. There were six Hurricanes players selected, second to Georgia Tech (with eight) in the ACC.
It was also the most Canes draftees in the top 20 rounds since 2016.
“Playing the game on the field is fun, but everything else is a business,” said Pridgen, who is one semester away from earning his Bachelor’s degree in Psychology. “When you are in the game, you understand it really well.
“Players are assets. The teams that are intelligent about how they spend their money are the ones that win.”
Pridgen said the Tigers want to see him throw his cutter more at the next level.
“My cutter was underutilized,” Pridgen said. “The metrics say it should’ve been the pitch I threw the most. But I used it the third-most behind my fastball and slider.
“I wanted to show I could throw a heavy fastball at the top of the zone and then hard cutters with a lot of sweep. My cutter and slider usage should flip-flop based on the data.”
Here’s a thumbnail look at the other players with Miami-Dade/Broward ties who were drafted on Tuesday:
▪ Miami Hurricanes center fielder Jacob Burke was taken in the 11th round by the White Sox.
▪ Lefty Adam Tulloch was drafted in the 15th round by Cleveland. He pitched for seven schools in the past eight years, including Sagemont, Archbishop McCarthy and Western in high school. He finished his college career at Arizona State.
Weston’s Adam Tulloch has taken a wild ride to 2022 MLB Draft
Tulloch spent the past three days in Weston, fishing and hanging out with his dog, a terrier mix called Milo.
“It’s been a long journey, but there’s a lot of excitement now,” Tulloch said. “This is the final step of the first chapter for me. I want to keep this underdog story going.”
▪ Four picks after Tulloch, the Braves used their 15th-round pick on Miami Dade College closer William Silva, a right-hander who played his high school ball at Coral Park.
▪ Miami Christian right-hander Henry Martinez was drafted in the 16th round by the Padres. Martinez was an FIU recruit, but he has agreed to terms with the Padres.
Ironically, Martinez was a shortstop until he moved from Colorado to Miami two years ago. Now, the 6-4, 185-pounder touches 96 mph with his fastball, and he has a curve, slider and changeup.
▪ Hurricanes right-hander Jake Garland was drafted in the 17th round by the A’s.
▪ Hurricanes star closer Andrew Walters was selected in the 18th round by the Orioles.
▪ Champagnat switch-pitcher Jurrangelo Cijntje was drafted in the 18th round by the Brewers. Cijntje, who touches 96 mph with his right hand and 92 with his left, may opt to pitch for Mississippi State rather than sign pro now. He has been on his college campus since July 5, taking early classes.
A switch-pitcher out of Champagnat is possibly MLB Draft’s most intriguing prospect
▪ North Broward Prep right-hander Yoel Tejada – a 6-7, 210-pounder whose fastball sits 92-95 mph -- went in the 19th round to the Pirates. Tejada, who signed with the Florida Gators, is also a switch-hitter who plays the corners in the infield and the outfield.
“His potential is off the charts,” North Broward Prep coach Brian Campbell said. “He was drafted as a pitcher, but he can swing it, too.”
