Newport senior Cole Wiper was selected by the Toronto Blue Jays with the 439th pick in the MLB first-year player draft on Tuesday.
In addition to leading the team in batting average (.403), Wiper struck-out a team leading 73 batters and finished the year with a 1.01 ERA.
Opposing batters managed only a .158 average against Wiper in 48.2 innings. He finished the year 4-2 with one save and a pair of complete games as the Knights made the quarterfinals of the 4A state baseball tournament.
Wiper is a University of Oregon commit.
Teammate Jared Fisher was taken by the Houston Astros with the ninth pick of the 26th round, selection 790 overall.
Fisher led the Knights with 27 base hits and 25 RBI. He tossed a team-high 51 innings for Newport coach Hal DeBerry, including a complete game effort in his team’s opening round state playoff game, an 8-3 win over South Kitsap.
Fisher finished his senior year with a record of 8-2 and struck out 64 batters on the year. His ERA for 2011 was 1.92 and opposing offenses managed to bat only .196 against the University of Washington commit.
Two prep baseball players from Bellevue were selected in the MLB first-year player draft on Tuesday, with Newport’s Cole Wiper going to the Toronto Blue Jays in the 14th round (439 overall) and teammate Jared Fisher being selected by the Houston Astros in round 26 (790 overall).
In addition to leading the team in batting average (.403), Wiper struck-out a team leading 73 batters and finished the year with a 1.01 ERA.
Opposing hitters managed only a .158 average against him in 48.2 innings. The First-Team All-KingCo selection finished the year 4-2 with one save and a pair of complete games as the Knights made the quarterfinals of the 4A state baseball tournament.
Fisher tossed a team-high 51 innings for Newport coach Hal DeBerry, including a complete game effort in his team’s opening round state playoff game, an 8-3 win over South Kitsap.
He said he watched the draft unfold online with his father and brothers, from around 9 a.m. until he received the call from the Astros sometime around 4 p.m.
“I really didn’t know when I was going to go,” Fisher said. The ice finally broke when the Astros called him before their pick in the 26th round and asked what it would take to sign him. “I gave them a number and they picked me in the next round.”
A Second-Team All-KingCo selection, Fisher finished his senior year with a record of 8-2 and 64 strikeouts. His ERA for 2011 was 1.92 and opposing offenses managed to bat only .196 against the University of Washington commit, who also led the Knights with 27 base hits and 25 RBI.
Fisher will throw for En Fuego, an 18U select squad, over the summer and continue negotiating with the Astros to hopefully reach a deal that is agreeable to both sides. He will also pitch in Yakima on June 11 or 12 in the All-State Baseball Series, which features top players from around Washington.
While Fisher said he would prefer to sign a contract and begin his professional career, he is also not opposed to spending time at the University of Washington to increase his stock.
“UW is not a bad option,” Fisher said. “It’s a win-win.”
Three from Bellevue College’s NWAACC title team taken
Bellevue College pitcher and former Skyline Spartan Adrian Sampson was selected by the Florida Marlins and BC teammate Kyle Conwell was taken by the Dodgers with pick 674 overall while Cody Edwards went to the Cubs with pick 1,509.
