Brito Picked by Indians in MLB Draft
Jun 05 | Baseball
Scarlet Knight ended career ranked eighth in program history with 171 strikeouts
PISCATAWAY, N.J. – Senior Serafino Brito of the Rutgers baseball team was selected in the 28th round of the MLB Draft by the Cleveland Indians on Wednesday. The right-handed pitcher was taken as the 850th overall pick. He becomes the highest drafted Scarlet Knight pitcher since 2004.
"Congratulations to Serafino and the Brito family on his selection in the MLB Draft," interim head coach Phil Cundari said. "We are very excited to see him begin his professional career with the Cleveland Indians."
A workhorse for the Scarlet Knights the past four seasons, Brito served in all roles on the pitching staff from starter to closer. He finished his career ranked tied for second in RU history with 86 games pitched, tied for fifth with 13 saves and eighth with 171 strikeouts.
Brito appeared in 29 games this past season, ranked third in the Big Ten following the regular season and also tied for third in a season in the school record books. The Oakland, New Jersey, native held a 3.40 ERA in relief after serving as the starter on Opening Day and struck out 44 overall in 47 innings. He had 17 scoreless outings and 15 times out of the bullpen collecting four or more outs.
As the closer, Brito picked up eight saves, including five in Big Ten play. The season mark sits tied for fifth in program history. In addition, he stranded 22-of-32 inherited runners and induced five double plays.
Brito made 10 starts as the primary midweek pitcher as a freshman in 2016, moving into the weekend rotation as a sophomore. That season, he led the staff with 47 strikeouts compared to 10 walks over 74.1 innings. Brito moved to the bullpen in 2018, holding opponents to a .211 batting average with a 2.21 ERA and five saves in that role. His Big Ten ERA of 2.59 paced the team and ranked sixth in the conference.
Overall, Brito logged 225 innings at the collegiate level.
The last Scarlet Knight to play in the Indians' organization was Casey Gaynor, who signed in 2010. The last Rutgers player drafted by Cleveland was Sam Ferretti in the 26th round in 1987.
The selection makes it eight consecutive years that a Rutgers baseball product has been either drafted or signed by an MLB organization. Other Scarlet Knights currently affiliated include Todd Frazier (New York Mets), Patrick Kivlehan (Toronto Blue Jays Triple-A), Brian O'Grady (Cincinnati Reds Triple-A), Max Herrmann (Los Angeles Angels Double-A), Jawuan Harris (San Diego Padres A), John O'Reilly (Pittsburgh Pirates A) and Nick Matera (Philadelphia Phillies Rookie).
Rutgers Pitchers Drafted Since 2000
2019: Serafino Brito – Cleveland Indians (Rd 28, #850)
2016: Howie Brey – Houston Astros (Rd 31, #937)
2015: Mark McCoy – Kansas City Royals (Rd 29, #879)
2004: Jack Egbert – Chicago White Sox (Rd 13, #389)
2002: Bobby Brownlie – Chicago Cubs (Rd 1, #21)
2002: Jason Bergmann – Montreal Expos (Rd 11, #317)
2001: Buddy Gallagher – Colorado Rockies (Rd 18, #544)
Follow Rutgers Athletics on Facebook and Twitter (@RUAthletics) for all of the latest news and updates. For specific updates regarding baseball, follow the program on Twitter (@RutgersBaseball), Instagram (@rutgersbaseball) and Facebook (/BaseballRU). For additional updates, please download the Gameday App.
"Congratulations to Serafino and the Brito family on his selection in the MLB Draft," interim head coach Phil Cundari said. "We are very excited to see him begin his professional career with the Cleveland Indians."
Brito is the seventh RU hurler to be selected in the MLB Draft since 2000, the first since Howie Brey in 2016 and the highest taken since Jack Egbert went in the 13th round to the Chicago White Sox in 2004.Dreams do come true. Thank you @Indians for giving me this amazing opportunity. Thank you Rutgers nation for the constant support. Time to get to work! #RallyTogether https://t.co/sU6MuEFUL0
— ⚾️Fino's Burritos⚾️ (@SerafinoBrito) June 6, 2019
A workhorse for the Scarlet Knights the past four seasons, Brito served in all roles on the pitching staff from starter to closer. He finished his career ranked tied for second in RU history with 86 games pitched, tied for fifth with 13 saves and eighth with 171 strikeouts.
Brito appeared in 29 games this past season, ranked third in the Big Ten following the regular season and also tied for third in a season in the school record books. The Oakland, New Jersey, native held a 3.40 ERA in relief after serving as the starter on Opening Day and struck out 44 overall in 47 innings. He had 17 scoreless outings and 15 times out of the bullpen collecting four or more outs.
As the closer, Brito picked up eight saves, including five in Big Ten play. The season mark sits tied for fifth in program history. In addition, he stranded 22-of-32 inherited runners and induced five double plays.
Brito made 10 starts as the primary midweek pitcher as a freshman in 2016, moving into the weekend rotation as a sophomore. That season, he led the staff with 47 strikeouts compared to 10 walks over 74.1 innings. Brito moved to the bullpen in 2018, holding opponents to a .211 batting average with a 2.21 ERA and five saves in that role. His Big Ten ERA of 2.59 paced the team and ranked sixth in the conference.
Overall, Brito logged 225 innings at the collegiate level.
The last Scarlet Knight to play in the Indians' organization was Casey Gaynor, who signed in 2010. The last Rutgers player drafted by Cleveland was Sam Ferretti in the 26th round in 1987.
The selection makes it eight consecutive years that a Rutgers baseball product has been either drafted or signed by an MLB organization. Other Scarlet Knights currently affiliated include Todd Frazier (New York Mets), Patrick Kivlehan (Toronto Blue Jays Triple-A), Brian O'Grady (Cincinnati Reds Triple-A), Max Herrmann (Los Angeles Angels Double-A), Jawuan Harris (San Diego Padres A), John O'Reilly (Pittsburgh Pirates A) and Nick Matera (Philadelphia Phillies Rookie).
Rutgers Pitchers Drafted Since 2000
2019: Serafino Brito – Cleveland Indians (Rd 28, #850)
2016: Howie Brey – Houston Astros (Rd 31, #937)
2015: Mark McCoy – Kansas City Royals (Rd 29, #879)
2004: Jack Egbert – Chicago White Sox (Rd 13, #389)
2002: Bobby Brownlie – Chicago Cubs (Rd 1, #21)
2002: Jason Bergmann – Montreal Expos (Rd 11, #317)
2001: Buddy Gallagher – Colorado Rockies (Rd 18, #544)
Follow Rutgers Athletics on Facebook and Twitter (@RUAthletics) for all of the latest news and updates. For specific updates regarding baseball, follow the program on Twitter (@RutgersBaseball), Instagram (@rutgersbaseball) and Facebook (/BaseballRU). For additional updates, please download the Gameday App.
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