Kent State pitcher Joe Whitman drafted by San Francisco Giants
Kent State left-handed pitcher Joe Whitman had his number called at the MLB Draft Sunday.
Whitman, who won Mid-American Conference pitcher of the year and first-team All-America honors, was chosen No. 69 overall by the San Francisco Giants.
Whitman was 9-2 in his junior year at Kent State with 15 starts and led the staff in wins (nine), innings (81) and strikeouts (100). The 6-foot-5 Hudson native had an ERA of 2.56 and allowed two runs or fewer in 13 of his 15 starts. He struck out 11 in wins over Jacksonville and Toledo.
Whitman, who originally attended Purdue University before transferring to Kent State, tied the Ohio single-season high school record with 10 saves as an Explorers junior in 2019 when he pitched 16⅔ innings and had a 2-0 record, 33 strikeouts and a 0.42 ERA. Jayce Vancena set the record in 2012 for Milbury Lake.
Whitman's senior season in 2020 was canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
"Joe had an outstanding junior year," Hudson baseball coach Buddy Dice said. "Joe was a multi-sport athlete playing basketball and baseball at Hudson. He is a great teammate. He has obviously worked his tail off to get where he is today and matured physically into the dude that earned numerous honors at Kent State this spring.
"The Giants definitely got a good one. We are excited for Joe and his family, and look forward to watching his progress at the professional level."
Dice said Whitman is the first Hudson graduate he has worked with during his time as Explorers head coach to be selected in the MLB Draft. Whitman is set to be the sixth Hudson graduate to play minor league baseball since 1999.
MLB.com ranked Whitman as the No. 37 overall player in this year's draft. Here's what it wrote about him:
"Scouts have bemoaned the lack of quality college left-handers in the 2023 Draft, but Whitman's growth has been a pleasant development as he has moved to the top of that group. He worked just 5⅔ innings in two seasons at Purdue before transferring to Kent State, where he has blossomed under the tutelage of pitching coach Mike Birkbeck. He won Mid-American Conference Pitcher of the Year honors and should be the school's highest pick since 2016 first-rounder Eric Lauer."
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This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Kent State pitcher Joe Whitman drafted by San Francisco Giants
