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Carey, Rothenberg Selected to Close Out MLB Draft
7/13/2021 3:45:00 PM | Baseball
DENVER – Junior pitcher Jack Carey and senior catcher Michael Rothenberg were drafted on the final day of the 2021 MLB Draft, hosted at the Bellco Theatre in Denver.
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Carey was selected with the first pick of the final day of the draft, going in the 11th round (313th overall) to the Pittsburgh Pirates. Rothenberg was not far to follow, taken 345th in the 12th round by the Detroit Tigers.
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The Duke duo joins shortstop Ethan Murray (fifth round – Milwaukee Brewers) and outfielders Joey Loperfido (seventh round – Houston Astros) and Peter Matt (10th round – Chicago Cubs) who were each drafted on Tuesday as the 2021 Duke draft class.
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Duke's five draft picks tied for the third highest in a single year in program history, trailing 2018 and 2009 as each year had seven Blue Devils drafted. In addition, five Blue Devils in the first 20 rounds of the draft matches the most in school history.
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The pair of draft picks on Tuesday took Duke's total selections to 87Â all-time and 32 under head coach Chris Pollard.
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Round 11, Pick 313 – Jack Carey – Pittsburgh Pirates
Carey began his career as a reliever before emerging into a starting role as a sophomore and becoming Duke's Friday night starter as a junior. Heading into the draft, Carey was tabbed the No. 237 prospect by Baseball America. As a Blue Devil, Carey carried a 5.07 ERA and a 9-5 record in 43 appearances with 18 starts. The Summit, N.J., native surrendered 136 hits and 52 walks while striking out 123 in 129.2 innings of work. He held batters to a .272 average. His 2021 season brought the most production, appearing and starting in 15 games with a 4-3 record. He totaled 69 strikeouts and held batters to a .255 batting average while allowing 68 hits and 25 walks in 68.2 innings pitched. Carey shined in the month of May as the Friday starter for the Blue Devils, boasting a 2.33 ERA with a 2-0 record and striking out 29 to just three walks in four appearances. Carey becomes the fourth Blue Devils drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates.
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"I am so proud of Jack and his development on the mound this year in our program," Pollard said. "He emerged as a true Friday night ace for us. As I have said many occasions, we would not have won the ACC Tournament and advanced to the NCAA Tournament without the tremendous job he did down the stretch. He has the combination of stuff and competitiveness to be really successful in professional baseball."
Round 12, Pick 345 – Michael Rothenberg – Detroit Tigers
Rothenberg was a staple behind the plate during his Duke career. A rare switch-hitting catcher with power, Rothenberg appeared in 166 games while starting 157 in his tenure. He slashed .266/.388/.479 and graduates from Duke ranking in the all-time career lists in numerous categories. The Boca Raton, Fla., native blasted 24 home runs to rank 13th in program history while his 128 RBIs ranked 17th, his 36 hit by pitches is fourth in school history and his .479 slugging percentage placed 24th. In the COVID-19 pandemic shortened 2020 season, Rothenberg led the club in batting average (.349), runs scored (13), doubles (tied with five), RBIs (17) and walks (15). Rothenberg was a two-time member of the ACC Baseball Championship All-Tournament Team, hitting a grand slam in each the 2019 and 2021 tournaments. He was equally impressive in the classroom as well, being named to the All-ACC Academic Team and the CoSIDA Academic All-District Team twice and was tabbed a 2020 CoSIDA Academic All-American. He is the fifth player drafted from Duke by the Detroit Tigers.
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"Mike has a tremendous baseball IQ," Pollard commented. "He is a student of the game and he has an incredible knack for making pitchers better with his receiving and game management skills. Mike is the definition of a true student-athlete leaving Durham as a CoSIDA Academic All-American."
For more information on Duke baseball, follow the Blue Devils on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram by searching for "DukeBaseball".
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#GoDuke
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Carey was selected with the first pick of the final day of the draft, going in the 11th round (313th overall) to the Pittsburgh Pirates. Rothenberg was not far to follow, taken 345th in the 12th round by the Detroit Tigers.
Â
The Duke duo joins shortstop Ethan Murray (fifth round – Milwaukee Brewers) and outfielders Joey Loperfido (seventh round – Houston Astros) and Peter Matt (10th round – Chicago Cubs) who were each drafted on Tuesday as the 2021 Duke draft class.
Â
Duke's five draft picks tied for the third highest in a single year in program history, trailing 2018 and 2009 as each year had seven Blue Devils drafted. In addition, five Blue Devils in the first 20 rounds of the draft matches the most in school history.
Â
The pair of draft picks on Tuesday took Duke's total selections to 87Â all-time and 32 under head coach Chris Pollard.
Â
Round 11, Pick 313 – Jack Carey – Pittsburgh Pirates
Carey began his career as a reliever before emerging into a starting role as a sophomore and becoming Duke's Friday night starter as a junior. Heading into the draft, Carey was tabbed the No. 237 prospect by Baseball America. As a Blue Devil, Carey carried a 5.07 ERA and a 9-5 record in 43 appearances with 18 starts. The Summit, N.J., native surrendered 136 hits and 52 walks while striking out 123 in 129.2 innings of work. He held batters to a .272 average. His 2021 season brought the most production, appearing and starting in 15 games with a 4-3 record. He totaled 69 strikeouts and held batters to a .255 batting average while allowing 68 hits and 25 walks in 68.2 innings pitched. Carey shined in the month of May as the Friday starter for the Blue Devils, boasting a 2.33 ERA with a 2-0 record and striking out 29 to just three walks in four appearances. Carey becomes the fourth Blue Devils drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates.
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"I am so proud of Jack and his development on the mound this year in our program," Pollard said. "He emerged as a true Friday night ace for us. As I have said many occasions, we would not have won the ACC Tournament and advanced to the NCAA Tournament without the tremendous job he did down the stretch. He has the combination of stuff and competitiveness to be really successful in professional baseball."
ÂA big-time arm is headed to Pittsburgh. @jcarey32 ?? @Pirates #BlueCollar | #MLBDraft pic.twitter.com/lf8vzPVVdw
— Duke Baseball (@DukeBASE) July 13, 2021
Round 12, Pick 345 – Michael Rothenberg – Detroit Tigers
Rothenberg was a staple behind the plate during his Duke career. A rare switch-hitting catcher with power, Rothenberg appeared in 166 games while starting 157 in his tenure. He slashed .266/.388/.479 and graduates from Duke ranking in the all-time career lists in numerous categories. The Boca Raton, Fla., native blasted 24 home runs to rank 13th in program history while his 128 RBIs ranked 17th, his 36 hit by pitches is fourth in school history and his .479 slugging percentage placed 24th. In the COVID-19 pandemic shortened 2020 season, Rothenberg led the club in batting average (.349), runs scored (13), doubles (tied with five), RBIs (17) and walks (15). Rothenberg was a two-time member of the ACC Baseball Championship All-Tournament Team, hitting a grand slam in each the 2019 and 2021 tournaments. He was equally impressive in the classroom as well, being named to the All-ACC Academic Team and the CoSIDA Academic All-District Team twice and was tabbed a 2020 CoSIDA Academic All-American. He is the fifth player drafted from Duke by the Detroit Tigers.
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"Mike has a tremendous baseball IQ," Pollard commented. "He is a student of the game and he has an incredible knack for making pitchers better with his receiving and game management skills. Mike is the definition of a true student-athlete leaving Durham as a CoSIDA Academic All-American."
ÂA switch-hitting catcher with pop. He's going to be a problem for years to come. @mikerothenberg3 | #BlueCollar pic.twitter.com/3EFog6U4EM
— Duke Baseball (@DukeBASE) July 13, 2021
For more information on Duke baseball, follow the Blue Devils on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram by searching for "DukeBaseball".
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#GoDuke
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