Six Hurricanes Selected on Day Two of 2009 MLB Draft
June 10, 2009
Coral Gables, Fla. – – Six University of Miami Hurricanes were selected on the second day of the 2009 Major League Baseball Amateur Draft Wednesday. Junior first baseman Jason Hagerty (San Diego Padres), shortstop Ryan Jackson (St. Louis Cardinals) and RHP Kyle Bellamy (Chicago White Sox) each went in the fifth round while left fielder Chris Herrmann (Minnesota Twins) was taken in the sixth round while left-handed pitcher Eric Erickson was taken in the 20th round by the Chicago Cubs and senior outfielder Dave DiNatale (Colorado Rockies) went in the 28th round.
Hagerty was the first Hurricane off the board going as the 144th overall pick to the San Diego Padres. Jackson followed as the 159th overall pick and Bellamy was selected 163rd by the Chicago White Sox. Herrmann was picked 192nd by the Minnesota Twins. Erickson was the 620th overall pick by the Chicago Cubs. DiNatale was the 841st overall pick
Jason Hagerty
6-3, 220
Junior first baseman/catcher
St. Louis, Mo./St. John Vianney
Arguably Miami’s top threat at the plate this past season, Hagerty had a breakout year in 2009, finishing with a .315 average, 14 home runs, 60 RBI and 58 runs scored. Starting all 60 games for the Hurricanes, Hagerty spent most of the season at first base but also saw some time behind the plate and in the outfield. He led the `Canes in RBI, triples (3), slugging percentage (.630), extra-base hits (32), total bases (126) and walks (43). His 43 walks in 60 games as a junior came after he drew just 21 walks in 76 games in his first two seasons in Coral Gables.
The St. Louis native was selected by the UM coaches and players as the team’s 2009 MVP and was recently named to the 2009 NCAA Gainesville Regional All-Tournament Team after hitting .417 with three homers and eight RBI in four regional games at McKethan Stadium. For his career, Hagerty is hitting .282 with 22 homers, 104 RBI and 94 runs scored.
Ryan Jackson
6-3, 185
Junior shortstop
Miami Springs, Fla./Florida Christian School
One of college baseball’s top defenders in his three-year career at UM, Jackson committed single-digit errors at shortstop each of the last two seasons in Coral Gables. After hitting .236 as a freshman in 2007, Jackson earned All-America honors as a sophomore after his average jumped 124 points to .360. The Miami Springs native led the 2008 `Canes with 19 doubles, and has tallied 38 in his career. This past season, Jackson hit .263 with four homers, 38 runs scored and a .362 on-base percentage.
Last summer, Jackson was a member of the 2008 USA Baseball National Team, tying for fourth on the team with 13 RBI. In his three collegiate seasons, Jackson has hit .293 with eight homers, 103 RBI, 115 runs scored and 19 stolen bases.
Kyle Bellamy
6-5, 220
Junior right-handed pitcher
Davie, Fla./Cypress Bay
One of five finalists for the NCBWA Stopper of the Year Award, Bellamy is one of college baseball’s elite relief pitchers, ranking among the national save leaders with 16 this season. In 46 1/3 innings pitched, the Davie, Fla. native allowed just five earned runs while striking out 63 and holding his opponents to a .147 batting average against him.
In a team-high 30 appearances, Bellamy (3-1) allowed just two extra-base hits and finished a perfect 16-for-16 in save opportunities. His 16 saves are tied for fifth in school history for saves in a single season, with 12 of his 16 saves coming from more than an inning of work. His final 2009 ERA of 0.97 is the third-lowest mark in a single season in UM history.
Bellamy has also been named a semifinalist for the Golden Spikes Award, the Dick Howser Trophy and the College Baseball Foundation National Pitcher of the Year Award. He was also named as the closer on the 2009 All-ACC First Team.
In his three-seasons in Coral Gables, Bellamy has compiled a record of 9-2 with a 2.04 ERA in 118 2/3 innings of work.
Chris Herrmann
6-0, 182
Junior infielder/outfielder
Tomball, Texas/Tomball HS/Alvin CC
Miami’s hottest hitter the second half of the season, Herrmann – a junior college transfer from Alvin Community College (Texas) – closed out the 2009 campaign with a team-best .341 average. After collecting a .283 average through the season’s first 30 contests, Herrmann proved to be one of the top hitters in the ACC the second half of the year, hitting .398 over UM’s last 30 games. On the year, Herrmann led the `Canes in batting average, runs scored (59) and on-base percentage (.458), while ranking second in both hits (73) and walks (41).
The Tomball, Texas native was named NCBWA Pro-Line Athletic National Player of the Week and Atlantic Coast Conference Player of the Week after hitting .769 (10-for-13) with two homers, eight RBI and eight runs scored in a three-game series sweep at Wake Forest (5/14-16).
Eric Erickson
6-0, 190
Junior left-handed pitcher
Sarasota, Fla./Sarasota HS
Had successful Tommy John surgery last offseason and missed the entire 2009 season in rehabilitation. Erickson has logged 168.0 career innings in 30 career appearances (26 starts) in two seasons with the Hurricanes. He’s compiled a 19-5 career record with a 3.27 ERA. He owns a career strikeout-to-walk ratio of 3.9-to-1 (131 Ks, 34 BBs). Erickson was named a Freshman All-American by both Baseball America and Louisville Sluggger in 2007. He became the first UM freshman in school history to be named first team All-ACC in 2007. As a sophomore in 2008, he was named second team All-ACC.
Dave DiNatale
6-1, 200
Senior outfielder
Parkland, Fla./Douglas HS
As a senior in 2009, DiNatale ranked fourth in hitting posting a .311 batting clip. He started 57 of 59 games and ranked tied for second in doubles (15) and ranked third in hits (65) while producing 39 RBI and six home runs. He also was 9-of-10 in stolen bases. As a junior in 2008, he was named the most valuable player of the 2008 ACC Baseball Championship. He batted .295 with nine home runs, 59 hits, 53 runs scored and 43 RBI and slugged .540. He also was 12-of-15 in stolen bases.
