MLB Draft wrapup

The three-day first-year MLB Player Draft concluded late Wednesday afternoon with 13 players with South Carolina connections selected. Five current players and eight members of the 2012 class were taken in the 40-round draft.

Junior Christian Walker was selected in the fourth round by Baltimore

Current players are not allowed to sign contracts until the season is over so Christian Walker, Evan Marzilli, Matt Price, Michael Roth, and Adam Matthews will have to wait at least a few more days before talking money with their respective professional teams.

Three high school players - Jamie Jarmon, Jamie Callahan, and Zak Wasilewski - have all agreed to terms with their respective teams. As of this writing, none have actually put pen to paper, but it is almost assured that they will spurn the college ranks and head straight into professional baseball.

South Carolina had three juniors projected to be taken in the draft that all went unselected. Third baseman LB Dantzler and pitchers Colby Holmes and Tyler Webb both skirted through the 1,238 picks without being taken. The trio will almost assuredly be back in a Gamecock uniform next season. Undrafted players can seek a free agent deal, but that is unlikely to happen.

In addition to the current players and 2012 recruiting class, wide receiver Kwinton Smith was also selected in the 14th round by the Texas Rangers. Read more about the next steps for him in this premium feature.

Players who are eligible to return to school have to sign a professional contract by July 13 at 5 p.m. EDT. If a player doesn’t sign, it’s a pretty safe bet that he’ll be in school come the start of the fall semester.

MLB Draft Insider Notes

Player, Team, Round, Pick

Corey Seager (Kannapollis, N.C./Northwest Caburrus), L.A. Dodgers, Round 1, No. 18 overall)
Jamie Jarmon (Delaware), Texas Rangers, Round 2, No. 83 overall)
Jamie Callahan (Dillon/Dillon), Boston Red Sox, Round 2, No. 87 overall
Christian Walker (South Carolina), Baltimore Orioles, Round 4, No. 132 overall
Matt Price (South Carolina), Baltimore Orioles, Round 7, No. 222 overall
Evan Marzilli (South Carolina), Arizona Diamondbacks, Round 8, No. 273 overall
Michael Roth (South Carolina), Anaheim Angels, Round 9, No. 297 overall
Zak Wasilewski (Tazewell, Va./Tazewell), Toronto Blues, Round 14, No. 445 overall
Kwinton Smith (Dillon/Dillon), Texas Rangers, Round 14, No. 456 overall
Ryan Ripken (Baltimore, Md./Gilman) Baltimore Orioles, Round 20, No. 612 overall
Dixon Llorens (Miami Dade JC), St. Louis Cardinals, Round 25, No. 780
Max Schrock (Chapel Hill, N.C./Cardinal Gibbons), Arizona Diamondbacks, Round 28, No. 873
Adam Matthews (South Carolina), Cincinnati Reds, Round 29, No. 892

MLB Draft updates