UNC Players Ackley, White, Go High in the Draft

UNC Baseball doesn't need any distractions going into the College World Series, so it's nice to know at least two players have solid postgraduate employment opportunities. With the second overall pick in the MLB draft tonight, the Seattle Mariners chose first baseman Dustin Ackley, followed soon by the Cleveland Indians selecting pitcher Alex White at 15th. Ackley and White are both juniors, making this their first year of eligibility in the draft.

Dustin Ackley had been the prohibitive favorite to go second in the draft for quite some time, behind San Diego State pitcher Stephen Strasburg. He was widely considered the best hitter in the draft (Quote GM Jack Zduriencik, "We think this kid was the best hitter in the Draft.") and has excelled in the postseason to date, including a 10-14 performance in two games against East Carolina. Mariners fans are understandably pleased.

From what I can gather, Indians fans were surprised Alex White was still on the board at fifteen, and are quite happy their team picked him up. White was initially drafted in the 14th round out of high school by the Los Angeles Dodgers, but elected to attend UNC instead, a decision that appears to have paid off handsomely.