Here are some blurbs, details, stats and more on the players that were selected by the Phillies on the third and final day of the 2011 MLB first-year player draft.
The Phils selected three more catchers on the third day of the draft, totaling seven for the entire process. The first player taken on Wednesday was Kyle Olson, a catcher out of Jackson High School in Washington. A two sport (baseball & football) stand out, the 31st round pick Olson batted near .500 in his senior season. Olson, a righty hitter who turned 19-years-old last month, stands 6-feet-2-inches tall and weighs 195 pounds.
Other catchers selected on day 3 were 18-year-old Austin Knight (43rd round), a right-handed hitter out of Sumrall High School in Mississippi, and 17-year-old Scott Tomassetti, a righty batter from Sierra Vista High School in Nevada.
Another big focus on Wednesday was pitching, as Philadelphia selected 11 pitchers in their last 19 rounds. Among the hurlers taken by the Phils in day 3 of the draft were Greg Herbst, a 6-foot-6-inch right-hander that went 8-3 with a 2.29 ERA in 15 starts for St. Mary’s University, Mike Nastold, a 21-year-old right-hander out of the University of Louisville, and Brett Maggard, an 18-year-old lefty out of Hernando High School in Florida.
Additionally, the Phillies geared some picks toward individuals with some previous ties to the team. Righty Tim Ponto, a life-long Phillies fan, was drafted in the 39th round out of Owen J. Roberts High School in Pottstown, PA. Ponto was actually in attendance at the Phillies-Dodgers game at Citizens Bank Park the night before the Phillies selected the 6-foot-7-inch tall 18-year-old with the 1,201st pick. Ponto celebrated on Wednesday evening by throwing a 2-hit shutout for NorChester in American Legion action.
With the 1,441st overall pick (47th round), the Phillies drafted second baseman Andrew Amaro, nephew of Philadelphia general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. Andrew Amaro is an 18-year-old left-handed batter out of Penn Charter High School.
And lastly, another draftee with a connection to the Phillies is Kolya Stephenson, son of well-known director of video production for the Phillies “Video” Dan Stephenson. Kolya Stephenson, a righty pitcher out of Ocean City High School in NJ, earned the distinction of being picked 1,530th overall, which happened to be the very last pick in the draft.
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Jay Floyd is PhilliesNation’s minor league contributor. You can read more from Jay by visiting his site, PhoulBallz.com.
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