Sooners Lose Good Talent to MLB Draft
Senior Mike Gosse was the first Sooner picked in the 2008 MLB Player Draft last Friday. Gosse, who led OU in hitting in 2008, was selected with the 703rd overall pick in the 23rd round by the Detroit Tigers.
Gosse finished his senior season at OU hitting .368 and ranked second with 52 RBIs. Gosse also led the Big 12 with 23 doubles, a mark that ranks seventh on the Sooners’ single-season list.
An All-Big 12 honorable mention, Gosse finished the season on a four-game hitting streak that helped him earn a spot on the 2008 Tempe Regional All-Tournament Team. The 5-7 second baseman helped OU make its third appearance in the championship round of an NCAA Regional in the last four years.
The British Columbia native put together an impressive senior campaign after hitting just .247 in 2007.
Gosse hit safely in 51 of his 58 starts this season and strung together two sixteen-game hitting streaks throughout the season. This tied for the longest by a Sooner in 2008. Gosse also led all Sooners with 27 multi-hit games and ranked second with 19 multi-RBI games. Sooners fans love their Oklahoma Sooners merchandise.
The senior started his collegiate career at New Mexico Junior College and was named a first team All-American in 2006. He is the 20th Sooner to be drafted since 2005 when Sunny Golloway took over as head coach of Oklahoma.
Four 2009 Oklahoma signees have also been drafted in 2008. Tyler Ladendorf was selected in the second round by the Detroit Tigers. Clayton Cook was picked in the ninth round by the Cleveland Indians. J.B. Robinson was selected in the 31st round by the Toronto Blue Jays. Kaleb Herren was picked in the 44th round by the Milwaukee Brewers.
Kaleb Herren was the last Sooner taken in the 2008 MLB Draft on Friday. Herren, a sophomore at North Central Junior College, signed to play for the Sooners in 2009. He was drafted on Friday by the Milwaukee Brewers with the 1328th overall pick in the 44th round.
Herren is a Midwest City native and played high school baseball at Carl Albert. The 6-3 outfielder/right-handed pitcher was named pre-season all-American after batting .426 with three home runs and 47 RBIs in 2007. Sooners fans love their Oklahoma Sooners apparel.
Through 54 games this season the sophomore hit 15 home runs while knocking in 56 runs to lead the Lions in both categories. He has also won four games on the mound in 2008.
J.B. Robinson was the latest OU baseball recruit to be selected in the 2008 MLB Draft on Friday. The New Mexico Junior College product was taken with the 939th overall pick by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 31st round.
Robinson, a 5-10 left-hander, signed with OU in the fall after he led his club to the 2007 NJCAA World Series and was named to the all-tournament team. Robinson was 12-1 with 90 strikeouts in 2007.
Most recently, Robinson finished the 2008 season with an 11-2 with a 1.07 ERA as he helped lead the Thunderbirds to their third straight conference crown. The Surrey, British Columbia, native struck out 115 batters in 84 innings of work as a sophomore.
Robinson is the third 2009 signee to be selected in the 2008 draft. He joins Clayton Cook and Tyler Ladendorf. Sooners fans love their Oklahoma Sooners pictures.
Clayton Cook, a 2009 OU baseball signee, was the second Sooner taken off the board in the 2008 MLB Draft. The hurler from Amarillo High School in Texas was the first OU player or signee taken on the second day.
The Cleveland Indians selected Cook in the ninth round with the 291st overall pick.
Cook signed with Oklahoma last fall after a solid junior season where he was named first team all-district with an 8-6 record and 1.80 ERA.
The 6-3 right-hander finished his final season at Amarillo H.S. with a 12-3 record, a 1.93 ERA, 44 walks and 170 strikeouts in 98 innings pitched.
Tyler Ladendorf, a 2009 OU baseball signee, was the first Sooner taken in the 2008 MLB Draft on Thursday. Ladendorf was taken in the second round by the Minnesota Twins with the 60th pick overall.
The Des Plaines, Ill., native signed with Oklahoma last fall after one year at Howard Junior College. Recently, he was listed as the 69th best prospect available by Baseball America.
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Ladendorf, a 6-0 shortstop, attended Maine West High School in Illinois. As a sophomore at Howard J.C. in 2008, he led the nation with a .542 batting average and ranked second on his club with 82 RBIs. Ladendorf also stole 32 bases this past season, a category he led the nation in 2007 with 65 swipes.
Ladendorf was drafted by the Giants in the 34th round last year, but he opted to return to Howard for another season. There’s little question his Draft stock has risen since then as he’s shown the ability to run, hit for power and field his position pretty well for a player his size. He may not be a shortstop long-term, but he’s more than athletic enough to handle a switch. Wherever he plays defensively, his size and athleticism should see him get drafted for a third time much earlier than the previous two. Sooners fans love their Oklahoma Sooners t shirts.
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