2015 MLB Draft: Several St. Louis Area Players Selected on Day 3

As the MLB Draft wrapped up on Wednesday, numerous players with ties to the St. Louis area were selected by major-league teams and will now get the opportunity to chase their baseball dreams at the professional level:

• Peter Fairbanks, a 6-foot-6, 225-pounder from Mizzou and Webster Groves High School, was actually selected late on Day 2, going in the ninth round to the Texas Rangers. Fairbanks, the Tigers’ third starter in 2015, was 4-5 with a 3.40 ERA in 15 starts this year.
• Lefthanded pitcher Alex Winkelman of Crystal City High School and Southeast Missouri State was taken by the Houston Astros in the 21st round. Winkelman was 4-3 with a 4.32 ERA this season.
• Saint Louis University catchers Jake Henson and Colton Frabasilio were both taken, with Henson going in the 21st round to the Los Angeles Dodgers and Frabasilio going in the 23rd to the Kansas City Royals.
• Matt Meier, a righthanded reliever from Lindenwood University and Francis Howell North High School, was taken by the Colorado Rockies in the 30th round. Meier had a 3.95 ERA but a dominant .136 opponent batting average in 2015.

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• Matt Vierling, a pitcher/outfielder from CBC High School, was taken by the Cardinals in Round 30. Vierling hit .451 with an OPS of 1.196 during his senior year at CBC, while throwing for a 2.07 ERA and .164 opponent batting average over nine appearances (seven starts). Vierling is expected to honor his college commitment to Notre Dame, though he suggested in a Wednesday interview with KSDK that he’s not against signing with the hometown Cardinals.
• Mizzou shortstop Ryan Howard, a draft-eligible sophomore who hit .308 with five homers and 39 RBI in 2015, was selected in the 31st round by the San Francisco Giants. Howard is a product of Francis Howell Central High School.
• Lindenwood righthander Geoff Hartlieb, a 6-foot-6, 225-pound righty, was taken by the New York Mets in Round 37.
• Also, in a move that could impact the University of Missouri football team, incoming freshman running back Marquise Doherty was drafted by his hometown Kansas City Royals in the 15th round. Doherty, who was expected to be selected much higher if not for signability concerns, is likely to honor his commitment to Mizzou and play football and baseball there.

Next: Mizzou's Breckin Williams Selected by Arizona Diamondbacks in Round 4