Six Black Bears selected in MLB Draft
Jul. 21—FAIRMONT — The West Virginia Black Bears capped off a first half of their season, through which they emerged with the best record in the MLB Draft League, with another strong crop of draftees, seeing six of their players selected in the MLB draft, which concluded on July 19.
The entirety of the MLB Draft League produced 47 selections in the draft, and for the Black Bears' part, Caeden Trenkle, Branden Noriega, Cédric de Grandpré, Shane Murphy, Austin Becker and Trey Braithwaite heard their names called.
Trenkle was selected in the 9th round by the Oakland Athletics after a summer that saw him hit for a .293 average, score 20 runs and collect 13 RBI. The Oklahoma State alum was the only Black Bear taken on the second day of the draft.
Branden Noriega, from Miami Dade College, was taken in the 11th round by the Chicago Cubs. The left-handed pitcher compiled 14 strikeouts in his 10 relief appearances for a 4.91 ERA. Cédric de Grandpré went in the 13th round to the Atlanta Braves after racking up 26 strikeouts in 16 innings for the Black Bears. The Quebec native finished the first half of the season with a 2.25 ERA.
More pitchers came off the board for West Virginia in the later rounds. Left-hander Shane Murphy, of Chandler Gilbert Community College, went to the Chicago White Sox in the 14th round, and Austin Murphy, of Texas Tech, went to the Colorado Rockies in the 16th round.
West Virginia University alum Trey Braithwaite was the last Black Bear called in the draft, likewise going in the 16th round to the Cincinnati Reds. Braithwaite was a dependable closer for the Black Bears, much like he had been for the Mountaineers, for the first half of the season. He struck out 26 batters over 14 innings this season and finished his career with a 1.29 ERA.
Three 2021 Black Bears players were also selected — RHP J.P. Massey (7th round to the Pittsburgh Pirates), RHP Patrick Pridgen (15th round to the Detroit Tigers) and RHP Logan Clayton (17th round to the Arizona Diamondbacks).
The Black Bears resume their seasons on July 22, with Jedd Gyorko's squad hitting the road for two series, first taking on the Frederick Keys in a three-game series at Nymeo Field at Harry Grove Stadium, then finishing with a trip to New Jersey to play three games against the Trenton Thunder.
Reach Nick Henthorn at 304-367-2548, on Twitter @nfhenthorn_135 or by email at nhenthorn@timeswv.com.
