Brey Selected by the Astros in MLB Draft
Jun 11 | Baseball
PISCATAWAY, N.J. - Howie Brey (Middletown, N.J.) of the Rutgers baseball team was selected by the Houston Astros in the 31st round of the 2016 Major League Baseball Draft on Saturday. The pitcher was the No. 937 pick overall.
"It was an unbelievable feeling when I found out," Brey said. "Words can't describe how excited I am for this opportunity. I want to thank my coaches and teammates at Rutgers, and my family and friends, for supporting me the whole way. I look forward to joining the Astros organization."
"I am very happy for Howie," head coach Joe Litterio said. "He competed his tail off for four years and deserves this opportunity. The Astros are getting a bulldog."
A Third Team All-Big Ten selection as a senior in 2016, Brey worked 100.1 in the regular season, second-most in the conference, with four complete games in league play (Indiana, Ohio State, Penn State, Maryland). He also placed fifth in the conference with 84 strikeouts over 14 games, a total that ranks third in a single season in school history. The left-hander pitched to a team-best 3.50 ERA, including a mark of 1.86 in five home starts.
For his career, Brey sits tied for third in program history with 206 strikeouts, fourth with 291.1 innings pitched, tied for fourth with 38 starts and tied for eighth with 18 victories. He made 64 appearances for the Scarlet Knights over four years with 38 starts, earning the nod on Opening Day in each of the last three seasons. Additionally, the lefty permitted just one stolen base in final 187.1 innings pitched dating back to 2014, including a streak of 181.1 consecutively until the last start of the season (longest in the nation).
Brey becomes the second left-handed pitcher picked from Rutgers in the last two years, as Mark McCoy was taken in the 29th round by the Kansas City Royals in 2015. The Scarlet Knights now have had three lefty hurlers drafted since 2000.
The last Rutgers player to be picked by the Astros was Gary Marinowski in the 24th round in 1980, with Bob Dickman being the only other in the 12th round in 1966.
It is the third consecutive year under Litterio that the Scarlet Knights have had a player drafted, as Brian O'Grady was picked in the eighth round in 2014 by the Cincinnati Reds and McCoy was taken last year. Patrick Kivlehan, who was selected in fourth round by the Seattle Mariners in 2012, is also in the minor leagues at AAA. Two-time all-star Todd Frazier is currently in his sixth season in the big leagues, now playing for the Chicago White Sox. He was the No. 34 overall pick back in 2007 by the Cincinnati Reds.
The 2016 MLB Draft wraps up later Saturday.
LHP Howie Brey selected in the 31st round of the MLB Draft by the Houston Astros! #RBaseball @astros pic.twitter.com/nXt7JMVo6a
— Rutgers Baseball (@BaseballRU) June 11, 2016
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