The Major League Basseball First-Year Player Draft came to a close Thursday morning, and players with Northern Nevada ties didn't get much love.
Chris Balcom-Miller, who pitched at Douglas High and then transferred to Leigh in San Jose and then went on to West Valley College, has the distinction of being the highest drafted player. Balcom-Miller was taken in the sixth round by the Colorado Rockies on Wednesday.
Balcom-Miller was an all-Northern California selection and Coast Golden gate Conference Pitcher of the Year.
The only Western Nevada College player drafted was catcher-infielder-outfielder Jerome Pena, who went in the 40th round to the New York Mets. The versatile Pena was drafted as a second baseman by the Mets, who selected several catchers in the three-day draft.
The switch-hitting Pena hit .293 on the year with 13 doubles. He was solid in the field committing just three errors. He hit .276 as a freshman.
The only other Northern Nevada player to go on the final day was Wolf Pack
outfielder Westley Moss (Indians, 1,025th pick, 34th round). Moss earned second team All-Western Athletic Conference honors in his first season playing for the Wolf Pack this past season. As a junior he may opt to return for his senior season at Nevada in 2010.
Moss hit .305 with 46 runs scored, seven doubles, three triples, 18 runs batted in and 15 stolen bases. The 15 stolen bases led the Pack and the three triples tied for team-high honors. In WAC play he led the conference with eight stolen bases and overall tied for fourth.
The surprise of the final day came with the 1,310th pick of the draft when
the Chicago Cubs took Nevada standout junior quarterback Colin Kaepernick, a
6-6 right-hander who hasn't pitched, or played baseball, since high school.