Savage and Thanopoulos Selected on Final Day of MLB Draft
6/11/2016 1:35:00 PM | Baseball
SECAUCUS, N.J. - Columbia baseball saw two players selected in the 2016 Major League Baseball Entry Draft. Junior second baseman Will Savage was selected by the Detroit Tigers in the 16th round and senior pitcher George Thanopoulos was picked up by the Colorado Rockies in the 27th round.
Savage, the 475th overall selection, is the highest draft pick for the program since Dario Pizzano was taken in the 15th round (No. 461) by the Seattle Mariners in 2012. The Bronx native led the Ivy League in batting average (.367), on-base percentage (.463) and stolen bases (20) on his way to second team all-conference accolades.
The 2014 Ivy League Rookie of the Year and Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American boasts a career average of .329 with 100 runs scored, 45 RBI and 44 stolen bases.
Thanopoulos, who returned to Columbia for his senior season after being taken in the 35th round by the New York Mets in 2015, finished his senior season strong, posting a 2-0 record with a 1.29 ERA and eight strikeouts in his final four appearances. The right-hander racked up 15 victories and 154 strikeouts in 185.1 innings in his career.
Columbia has had eight players taken in the MLB Draft since 2012.
