Three Missouri Tigers Players Selected on Final Day of 2016 MLB Draft

Three Mizzou players were selected on the final day of the MLB Draft, raising the Tigers’ total number of drafted players to four for this year.

While Saturday was a generally solemn day around the Missouri Tigers baseball program, as head coach Tim Jamieson announced his resignation after 22 seasons, it was also a good day in that three Tigers were selected in the MLB Draft. Senior righthanded pitcher Reggie McClain was selected in the 13th round by the Seattle Mariners (387th overall), junior center fielder Jake Ring was taken in the 31st round by the Baltimore Orioles  (931st overall), and senior lefthanded pitcher Austin Tribby was taken by the Minnesota Twins in the 35th round (1,053rd overall). Those three selections on Saturday followed the selection of Mizzou shortstop Ryan Howard by the San Francisco Giants in the fifth round on Friday.

McClain, a 6-foot-2, 199-pound redshirt senior from Duluth, Georgia, was one of the anchors of the Tigers’ rotation in 2015, going 5-4 in 14 starts. He had a 3.65 ERA, a .270 opponent batting average, 94 strikeouts, and just nine walks in 101 innings.

Ring, a 5-foot-11, 182-pound lefty hitter from Ingleside, Illinois, had the highest on-base percentage (.428) of any Tigers hitter in 2016. He hit for a .317 batting average and .862 OPS with two homers and 25 RBI in 56 games. Ring also led Mizzou in steals, swiping 25 bags in 30 attempts.

Tribby, a 6-foot-5, 239-pound lefty from Springfield, Missouri, started just five games but appeared in another 23 out of the bullpen. In 52 2/3 innings, he posted a 4.78 ERA and .260 opponent batting average. While Tribby’s never really put together fantastic numbers during his college career, he’s a big, strong lefty, and that could take him places as a pro.

Next: Pirates Take SLU RHP Matt Eckleman in 21st Round

Mizzou has had a player selected from its baseball program in every draft since 1987, and there have only been three years since the inception of the MLB Draft in 1965 that a Mizzou player has not been selected (1974, 1975, and 1986).