Josh Zeid, Sam Honeck and Taylor Rogers mark the third, fourth and fifth members of the Green Wave club to be selected in the 2009 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft. Zeid was selected by the Philadelphia Phillies in the 10
th round while Honeck was picked up by the New York Mets in the 11
th round. Rogers followed in the 25
th round Wednesday afternoon.
Zeid, a right-handed pitcher for Tulane, had been in the weekend rotation all season for Tulane, while his 4.01 ERA ranked him second on the staff. He was a perfect 6-0 on the season, striking out 45 over his 76.1 innings pitched. He has held opposing batters to a staff-best .236 average while batters with two outs have been held to a .159 average while inducing a team-high 94 ground balls. Zeid has also tossed two combined shutouts.
“I’m absolutely ecstatic for the opportunity,” Zeid said. “I’m glad I had four years of college because it was a great experience but I’m very excited to get started on this new path in my life.”
Prior to arriving at Tulane, Zeid pitched two seasons at Vanderbilt University for coach Tim Corbin in which he made 18 career appearances with one start. As a freshman, he pitched in 13 games and recorded a 5.24 ERA and 22 strikeouts in 22.1 innings of work with a pair of scoreless relief appearances in the 2006 NCAA Atlanta Regional against Georgia Tech. He also helped the Commodores set a school record with a string of 38.2 consecutive scoreless innings from March 18-25, 2006. As a sophomore, the New Haven, Conn. native appeared in five games, going 4.1 innings with three strikeouts.
The club’s three-hitter for the majority of the season, Honeck led the team in home runs and RBI with 16 and 70, respectively, as well as in slugging percentage with .630. His RBI count has also put him in the top 25 nationally. Named to the First Team All-Conference USA, Honeck has been a reliable first baseman with a .982 fielding percentage in 558 chances.
“I’m feeling great,” Honeck said. “I’m ready to get going and I’m ready to show them what I can do.”
Honeck arrived at Tulane after two years at Grayson County College where he was a two-year starter for coach Dusty Hart. Honeck helped lead the Vikings to a combined 78-36 record, including a 43-13 record in 2007 when Grayson won the North Texas Junior College Athletic Conference championship and advanced to the NJCAA Region V playoffs. The left-handed hitting Honeck was named first-team all-conference as a freshman after leading the team in home runs (eight), runs scored (49) and on-base percentage (.446), ranking second in RBI (44) and walks (30) while hitting .360. As a sophomore, he claimed second-team all-conference honors after ranking second on the team in home runs (12) and doubles (18), third in hits (71), RBI (56), slugging percentage (.665) and walks (24), and fifth in batting average (.372) while also being named to the Dean's 4.0 List.
Rogers, a righty from Round Rock, Texas, made 14 appearances on the hill, including four starts for the Green Wave. The junior picked up a save on the year while posting a 2-2 record and a 4.43 ERA in his 42.2 innings pitched. Rogers also notched 30 strikeouts on the year.
In his sophomore campaign, he appeared in 14 games with six starts while posting a 3-1 record and a 4.11 ERA. He also held opposing hitters to a .174 opponent batting average while fanning 36 in 35.0 innings of work. Rogers did not allow a hit in four appearances and held opponents without an earned run on six occasions. As a true freshman, he again made 14 appearances on the mound, with one start against UNC-Asheville (March 7). He went 1-0 with a 6.75 ERA, 11 strikeouts and a .301 opponent batting average in 20.0 innings of work while earning his first career victory with 3.0 shutout innings against Wright State (March 2).
The 2009 MLB Draft continues with the final rounds (31-50) taking place on Thursday.
