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| St. Louis Cardinals select UD’s Michael |
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| Mark Michael |
1:35 p.m., June 4, 2003--The St. Louis Cardinals selected Mark Michael, a right-handed pitcher for the University of Delaware, in the fourth round of the annual Major League Baseball draft on Tuesday, June 3.
Also in Tuesday’s draft, the Minnesota Twins selected high school pitcher Dave Shinskie, a Fightin’ Blue Hens football recruit. Shinskie will be a quarterback at UD this fall unless he decides to sign with the Twins.
Michael, a 6-foot 4-inch, 210-pound junior from Gibbstown, N.J., was drafted for the second time in his career. He was first selected in the 21st round by the Minnesota Twins following his senior year at Gloucester Catholic High School.
Michael became the first UD player to be picked as high as the fourth round of the draft since current Texas Rangers outfielder Kevin Mench was selected in the fourth round in 1999. He also is the highest UD pitcher to be drafted since Bill Brakeley was selected in the fourth round by the Milwaukee Brewers in 1989.
Michael's selection marks the second year that the Cardinals organization has drafted a UD player. Outfielder Reid Gorecki was selected in the 13th round last season.
Michael, who played his freshman year at Old Dominion University before transferring to UD for the last two seasons, has had his fastball clocked at more than 90 miles per hour.
He pitched in 12 games this season, posting a 3-4 record with a 6.96 earned run average in nine starts. He pitched 53 innings, allowing 66 hits and 27 walks while striking out 52 batters. In addition to his pitching, he batted .265 with three home runs and 14 runs batted in.
As a sophomore in 2002, Michael batted .307 with eight home runs and 37 runs batted in. That season he pitched just four innings in three games, going 0-0 with an 11.25 ERA.
Michael enjoyed perhaps his finest outing of the 2003 season when he allowed just three hits and one run over five innings in an exhibition game against the minor league Wilmington Blue Rocks. The Blue Rocks are the Class A league affiliate of the Kansas City Royals and compete in the Carolina League.
Shinskie enjoyed a stellar three-sport career at Mt. Carmel High School in Pennsylvania, where he was a standout pitcher, a record-setting quarterback and a forward on the basketball team. He was named the Pennsylvania 2002 Associated Press Small School Player of the Year in leading Mount Carmel to the state AA football title last fall. He threw for 6,334 yards and 57 touchdowns during his career, in which he started the final 47 games.
As a pitcher, Shinskie’s fastball has been clocked at more than 90 miles per hour. He pitched in the Pennsylvania American Legion All-Star game in 2001 and 2002.
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