Sutton Selected by Astros in 15th Round
6/7/2004 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
June 7, 2004
WACO, Texas - Baylor junior infielder Drew Sutton was selected by the Houston Astros in the 15th round of the 2004 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft Monday. The draft's first 18 rounds were held Monday with the final 32 rounds scheduled for Tuesday.
Sutton, who transferred to Baylor last fall after two years at Texarkana [Texas] Junior College, was the only Bear selected in the first 18 rounds, including the five student-athletes Baylor signed to National Letters of Intent last November. He was the 454th overall pick.
A native of Jackson, Tenn., Sutton hit .304 with eight home runs, 40 RBI, 10 doubles, three triples and a team-high 32 walks this season for the Bears. He also had two of Baylor's five grand slams, including one against Oklahoma at the Big 12 Tournament. Sutton, who saw time at second base and at shortstop early in the season before becoming Baylor's everyday starter at first, is projected as a shortstop in the Astros' organization.
Houston has a history of drafting Baylor players. Last season, the Astros took Mark Saccamanno in the 23rd round. Other Baylor players recently drafted by the Astros include Trevor Mote (15th round, 2001), Jon Topolski (fourth round, 1999) and Charley Carter (15th round, 1998).
This year marks the first time since 1997 that no Baylor player was selected in the first 10 rounds; that year, the Pittsburgh Pirates selected Kris Lambert in the 13th round and was Baylor's only draftee. Sutton's 15th-round selection also is the latest for the first Bear to be drafted since 1995 when the Minnesota Twins selected Tim Peters in the 26th round.
Sutton's selection marks the 44th draft pick used on a Baylor player in head coach Steve Smith's 10 years at Baylor.
