Three Gonzaga Players Taken in 2015 MLB Draft

In this year’s MLB draft three Gonzaga players have been drafted to pro clubs.  RHP Andrew Sopko was drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers with the 27th pick of the seventh round.  3B Mitchell Gunsolus was drafted with the sixth pick in the 10th round by the Boston Red Sox.  1B Taylor Jones was drafted with the eighth pick in the 35th round by the Chicago Cubs.  This is very exciting for all three players and for Gonzaga sports as a whole.

In the 2015 season Sopko had a record of 7-5 with an ERA of 3.55.  He earned all-WCC honorable mention.  In a game against San Francisco on March 14, 2015, Sopko only allowed two runs on five hits.  In this game he had an impressive nine strikeouts.  Sopko was a successful starting pitcher for Gonzaga.  There is speculation that he will be utilized more in the bullpen for the Dodgers.  He has good control of his 94 mph fastball.  I could see him being used successfully in the bullpen.

Mitchell Gunsolus is a skilled defensive third baseman with excellent offensive skills.  He was selected to the 2015 all-WCC first team.  He had an extremely impressive batting average of .353.  This season he had 73 hits including 15 doubles, three triples, seven homers, and 34 RBI.  It is very exciting for Gunsolus to join the great baseball tradition that the Red Sox have.

Taylor Jones was selected to the all-WCC first team in 2015.  He lead the Bulldogs with a .358 batting average in  2015.  He was excellent defensively as well with a fielding percentage of .991.  In 2013 and 2014 Jones was a two way player.  He focused more on pitching in those years, but in 2015 Jones switched his focus to batting and playing first base.  He was very successful with this and ended up getting drafted by the Cubs on the last day of the draft.

Congratulations to all three Gonzaga draftees.  It’s very exciting to see Gonzaga baseball getting represented well in the MLB draft!