Suarez Drafted in Second Round by Nationals
CORAL GABLES, Fla. — University of Miami lefthander Andrew Suarez became the first Hurricane selected in the 2014 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft Thursday night, when the Washington Nationals selected him in the second round.
Suarez, who was selected in the ninth round of the 2011 MLB Draft out of nearby Christopher Columbus High School, went 6-3 with a 2.95 ERA this past spring. A 2014 third-team All-ACC selection, Suarez struck out 87 batters in 109.2 innings and walked just 15.
He was the 57th overall selection in the draft.
Suarez pitched nine innings on four separate occasions this past spring, including a complete-game shutout of Bethune-Cookman in the NCAA Coral Gables Regional in his final start on May 30. He struck out a career-high 10 batters in the outing, which advanced Miami into the winner’s bracket of the regional.
Though his freshman season was derailed by shoulder surgery, Suarez recovered to make 31 starts as a member of the weekend rotation over the past two seasons. He combined to strike out 144 batters in those outings, finishing with a personal record of 9-9.
Suarez was ranked the No. 75 overall MLB Draft prospect by Baseball America and the 32nd-best college prospect. He was rated the No. 70 prospect in Perfect Game’s most recent rankings.
The 2014 MLB Draft continues this weekend, with rounds 3-10 taking place on Fri., June 6 at 1 p.m. The draft will resume with rounds 11-40 on Sat., June 7 at 1 p.m.
