The 2015 MLB Draft has officially begun, and the first round is progressing as college teams are looking to advance to the College World Series.
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Vanderbilt just advanced to Omaha with a victory over Illinois, and shortstop Dansby Swanson just experienced a double whammy in exciting moments as he was selected first overall by the Arizona Diamondbacks.
While the Diamondbacks have a promising young shortstop in Chris Owings, it was hard for them to pass on Swanson’s upside.
Swanson possesses the ability to be a five-tool player in the majors, as he demonstrated great power and speed in his junior season with Vanderbilt while helping them win the 2014 College World Series.
He hit 14 home runs with 61 runs batted in and a .348 batting average while stealing 15 bases for the Commodores in the 2015 season. He had swiped 22 bags in the 2014 season.
The Diamondbacks have not reached the playoffs since 2011, where they were eliminated in Game 5 of the NLDS, and they fell to the National League West cellar in 2014 after two consecutive .500 seasons.
With the Houston Astros and Colorado Rockies respectively selecting LSU shortstop Alex Bregman and Lake Mary High shortstop Brendan Rodgers(not to be confused with Liverpool manager), the draft has seen three shortstops be selected with the first three picks for the first time in MLB history.
The entire first round of the 2015 draft can be seen on the Sports Illustrated tracker.
SportsCenter broke the news of the Diamondbacks’ selection on Twitter.
BREAKING: Diamondbacks select Vanderbilt SS Dansby Swanson as No. 1 overall pick in MLB Draft. pic.twitter.com/6uW4JPiiaf
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) June 8, 2015
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