In June, 4 members of Liberty’s baseball team were selected in the 2018 MLB Draft – D.J. Artis, Jack DeGroat, Tre Todd, and Jackson Bertsch. Artis was selected by the Chicago Cubs in the 7th round, Liberty’s highest draftee since 2004. DeGroat was tabbed in the 11th round by the Cleveland Indians, Todd was picked in the 21st round by the LA Dodgers, and Bertsch was taken by the Yankees in the 29th round.
These 4 draftees join a list of former Flames that are currently with Major League Organizations.
Ryan Cordell
Cordell has been on the verge of reaching the majors the past couple of seasons, but he has been sidelined by injuries, most recently by a broken clavicle in April. He played in just 10 games this season before the injury. Cordell was drafted in the 11th round of the 2013 draft by the Texas Rangers, and he has a career batting average of .273 in 462 games.
Ian Parmley
Parmley made a splash in 2017 as he joined the Big Leagues with the Toronto Blue Jays for 3 games. Since being drafted in the 7th round by Toronto in 2012, he’s bounced around the minors until being released by the Blue Jays in late June. For his career, Parmley batted .249 in 469 minor league games with 48 doubles, 12 triples, 4 homeruns, and 121 RBI’s.
Adam Parks
Parks is currently in AA with the Frisco RoughRiders where he is 1-2 this season with a 6.20 ERA. Since being drafted in the 33rd round of the 2014 draft by the Texas Rangers, he has a career record of 7-9 with a 3.34 ERA in 89 appearances. Parks missed all of the 2017 season due to injury.
I would love to see DeGroat do well for my hometown Indians!
Remember that the Tribe’s High-A club is in Lynchburg.