For most baseball players, being drafted to a major league team is a dream. But for Rob Scahill, on June 10 that dream became a reality.
Scahill was drafted in the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft by the Colorado Rockies. He was taken in the eighth round of the draft as the 241st overall pick.
This marks the second year Scahill has been taken in the draft. Last year, he was drafted by the New York Yankees in the 48th round. He is one of five players who has been drafted out of Bradley twice and the 40 round difference in selections is the highest change among those drafted twice.
“I was listening to the draft on the internet and the first emotion that came to me was relief,” Scahill said. “It is hard because you never know exactly where you are going to go.”
He is currently playing for the Tri-City Dust Devils, the Class-A affiliate of the Colorado Rockies, located in Pasco, Wa.
“Right now our team just won the Northwest League Eastern Division, so I am looking forward to the championship series,” Scahill said.
The championship series for the Tri-City Dust Devils starts Monday against Salem-Keizer.
Pitching for the Dust Devils this season, Scahill has started in 14 games and has accumulated an 0-4 record with a 3.10 ERA. He has pitched 58 innings and has 52 strikeouts in those, which accounts for the second highest strikeout total on the team.
“It will be nice to have some time to relax in the off-season,” he said. “I’m just looking forward to doing whatever I can to make my way up through the minors.”
In his career with the Braves, Scahill racked up a record of 10 wins and 15 losses with a 4.70 ERA in 38 games played. He pitched a combined 214.2 innings, striking out 187 hitters in his three years on the Hilltop.
In his last season with the Braves, Scahill earned a 3-3 record with a team-high 59 strikeouts in 60 innings pitched. He also pitched the only complete game for the Braves in the 2009 season.
Scahill had nothing but good things to say about the program and playing for a storied Bradley team.
“I am very happy that I am able to represent Bradley up through the professional ranks,” he said. “It is an honor to have played there and have been a part of that program.”
