| UPTON, MAYBIN YOUNGEST BIG LEAGUERS |
Outfielders Justin Upton of the Arizona Diamondbacks and
Cameron Maybin of the Detroit Tigers, both 2005 first-round draft picks and the
only players born in 2007, were the youngest players to play in the big leagues
this season. Upton debuted at age 19.
Following are the 10 youngest big leaguers, all but one (Felix Hernandez,
Mariners) of whom made their debuts this season, and their birthdates:
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Player, Pos, Team |
B-Date |
| 1. |
Justin Upton, of, Diamondbacks |
Aug. 25, 1987 |
| 2. |
Cameron Maybin, of, Tigers |
April 4, 1987 |
| 3. |
Philip Hughes, rhp, Yankees |
June 24, 1986 |
| 4. |
Homer Bailey, rhp, Reds |
May 3, 1986 |
| 5. |
Billy Butler, of, Royals |
April 18, 1986 |
| 6. |
Felix Hernandez, rhp, Mariners |
April 8, 1986 |
| 7. |
Ross Detwiler, lhp, Nationals |
March 6, 1986 |
| 8. |
Yovani Gallardo, rhp, Brewers |
Feb. 27, 1986 |
| 9. |
Jair Jurrgens, rhp, Tigers |
Jan. 29, 1986 |
| 10. |
Franklin Morales, lhp, Rockies |
Jan. 24, 1986 |
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| --ALLAN SIMPSON |
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| ASU, USC TOPS IN ATTRACTING TALENT |
University of Georgia senior righthander Josh Fields has
the distinction of being the highest pick from the 2007 draft to go unsigned.
Fields was a second-rounder of the Atlanta Braves, the 69th pick overall in
June.
In all, there were 13 players in the top five rounds of the 2007 draft who went
unsigned—more than in the last three drafts combined, and the most since 17
players in the top five rounds went unsigned in 1998. The record for the most
unsigned picks in the top five rounds occurred in 1967, when 29 such draft
picks went unsigned.
Over the years, there have been more players that went on to attend or return
to Arizona State and Southern California (29 apiece) who went unsigned in the
first five rounds than any college. Following are the top 10 schools that have
attracted the elite unsigned talent since the draft was instituted in 1965
(number of College World Series championship since then noted in parentheses):
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College |
# Players |
| 1. |
Arizona State (5) |
29 |
| |
Southern California (8) |
29 |
| 3. |
Texas (4) |
22 |
| 4. |
Stanford (2) |
18 |
| 5. |
Arizona (3) |
15 |
| 6. |
UCLA (0) |
12 |
| |
Miami (4) |
12 |
| 8. |
Florida State (0) |
11 |
| 9. |
California (0) |
10 |
| |
Georgia Tech (0) |
10 |
| |
Michigan (0) |
10 |
| |
North Carolina |
10 |
| |
Oklahoma (1) |
10 |
|
| --ALLAN SIMPSON |
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