The Aztecs had three players selected in this year’s Major League Baseball draft on Saturday, June 8. The lone position player selected was catcher Jake Romanski to the Boston Red Sox as the seventh pick in the 14th round and the two pitchers selected were Philip Walby by the New York Yankees in the 12th round and Ethan Miller by the San Francisco Giants in the 22nd round, respectively.
Romanski was a staple for the Aztecs behind home plate during his time at San Diego State. Romanski joins his brother Joshua, who plays for the Chicago White
Sox in the professional ranks. He attended Norco High School, where he batted .349 as a senior with eight doubles, six home runs and 36 RBIs.
Romanski attended Chaffey Junior College where he was named to the all-Foothill League team both years and was a two-time conference Gold Glove recipient. He led the team to regionals both seasons he played there.
At SDSU, Romanski started 36 games behind the plate as a junior, and recorded 12 multi-hit games throughout the season. This season, he batted .282 with six doubles and 13 RBIs.
One of the Aztec pitchers selected was Philip Walby, who spent most of his early college seasons as a middle reliever for the team, but eventually made it into the starting rotation for head coach Tony Gwynn. As a senior from Scripps Ranch High School, Walby helped his team win a league title in 2010.
He was recruited heavily by Michigan State, the University of Michigan, Harvard University, Indiana University and the University of California, Riverside, but decided to stay close to home and became an Aztec. His longest outing of the year came against the University of San Diego when he pitched 5.2 innings. Walby’s pitches and size give him an advantage when playing for the Yankees.
Pitcher Ethan Miller rounds off the Aztecs drafted in 2013. Miller attended Ayala High School, where he earned four varsity letters. The 6-foot-4, 215-pound Miller made 10 appearances his freshman year at SDSU, including six starts. In 2013, Miller was primarily the Aztec’s closer with brief relief work scattered throughout the season. Miller is projected to be a middle reliever for the Giants and his size also gives him tremendous upside in the future.
