DeVries Selected By Cleveland Indians In MLB Draft
6/11/2016 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
June 11, 2016 
Rising senior Jacob DeVries of Air Force baseball was selected by the Cleveland Indians in the 38th round of the 2016 Major League Baseball Amateur Draft on Saturday, June 11. DeVries is the second Falcon taken in the draft, joining teammate Griffin Jax, who was a third round selection of the Minnesota Twins on Friday.
DeVries is a hard-throwing left-hander that posted a 6-6 record with 55 strikeouts in 63.2 innings pitched. The Castroville, Texas, native posted a 5.09 earned run average in 13 starts and 14 total games pitched. DeVries broke out as a sophomore in 2015, when he posted a 5-5 record, striking out 80 in 84.2 innings pitched.
DeVries is the eighth cadet-athlete ever to be drafted for Air Force and just the third pitcher and third junior to be drafted. DeVries is the fourth Falcon to be drafted in the last three years under current head coach Mike Kazlausky, joining Garrett Custons (10th round by Toronto in 2013), Ben Yokley (29th round by St. Louis in 2015) and Jax.
It is the first time in program history that Air Force has had two players drafted in the same season.
"This is an exciting day for my family and I as I have the opportunity to accomplish my goals of serving my country and playing professional baseball," DeVries said. "I want to thank the Cleveland Indians organization for believing in me. Upon completion of my education at the Air Force Academy, I look forward to exploring my options after graduation. I cannot thank the people at the Air Force Academy enough for their support through this process."
"I am excited for Jacob but also for our Air Force Academy baseball program!" Kazlausky said. "We continue to attract the best of the best to this fine institution and Jacob, and Griffin, are shining examples. I look forward to these two young men serving our country in the military and proud that they have been considered talented enough to be wanted by Major League Baseball teams."
Air Force Baseball Players Selected in MLB Draft
- 1972, Brad Fulk, Texas, 1st round, 2nd pick overall
- 1975, Jeff Brown, Philadelphia
- 1976, Jeff Brown, Philadelphia
- 2001, Mike Thiessen, Arizona, 42nd round
- 2007, Karl Bolt, Philadelphia, 15th round
- 2013, Garrett Custons, Toronto, 10th round
- 2015, Ben Yokley, St. Louis, 29th round
- 2016, Griffin Jax, Minnesota, 3rd round
- 2016, Jacob DeVries, Cleveland, 38th round
Falcons That Played Pro Ball
- Mike Thiessen, Lancaster, Adv.-A, Arizona, 2003
- Matt Kaercher, GCL Red Sox, Rookie League, Boston, 2003
- Matt Kaercher, Portland SeaDogs, Class AA, Boston, 2003
- Matt Kaercher, Sarasota Red Sox, Class A, Boston, 2004
- Karl Bolt, GCL Phillies, Rookie League, Philadelphia, 2007
- Karl Bolt, Lakewood BlueClaws, Class A, Philadelphia, 2008
- Garrett Custons, Bluefield Blue Jays, Class A, Toronto, 2013
- Ben Yokley, Johnson City Cardinals, Rookie League, St. Louis, 2015
DeVries is a hard-throwing left-hander that posted a 6-6 record with 55 strikeouts in 63.2 innings pitched. The Castroville, Texas, native posted a 5.09 earned run average in 13 starts and 14 total games pitched. DeVries broke out as a sophomore in 2015, when he posted a 5-5 record, striking out 80 in 84.2 innings pitched.
DeVries is the eighth cadet-athlete ever to be drafted for Air Force and just the third pitcher and third junior to be drafted. DeVries is the fourth Falcon to be drafted in the last three years under current head coach Mike Kazlausky, joining Garrett Custons (10th round by Toronto in 2013), Ben Yokley (29th round by St. Louis in 2015) and Jax.
It is the first time in program history that Air Force has had two players drafted in the same season.
"This is an exciting day for my family and I as I have the opportunity to accomplish my goals of serving my country and playing professional baseball," DeVries said. "I want to thank the Cleveland Indians organization for believing in me. Upon completion of my education at the Air Force Academy, I look forward to exploring my options after graduation. I cannot thank the people at the Air Force Academy enough for their support through this process."
"I am excited for Jacob but also for our Air Force Academy baseball program!" Kazlausky said. "We continue to attract the best of the best to this fine institution and Jacob, and Griffin, are shining examples. I look forward to these two young men serving our country in the military and proud that they have been considered talented enough to be wanted by Major League Baseball teams."
Air Force Baseball Players Selected in MLB Draft
- 1972, Brad Fulk, Texas, 1st round, 2nd pick overall
- 1975, Jeff Brown, Philadelphia
- 1976, Jeff Brown, Philadelphia
- 2001, Mike Thiessen, Arizona, 42nd round
- 2007, Karl Bolt, Philadelphia, 15th round
- 2013, Garrett Custons, Toronto, 10th round
- 2015, Ben Yokley, St. Louis, 29th round
- 2016, Griffin Jax, Minnesota, 3rd round
- 2016, Jacob DeVries, Cleveland, 38th round
Falcons That Played Pro Ball
- Mike Thiessen, Lancaster, Adv.-A, Arizona, 2003
- Matt Kaercher, GCL Red Sox, Rookie League, Boston, 2003
- Matt Kaercher, Portland SeaDogs, Class AA, Boston, 2003
- Matt Kaercher, Sarasota Red Sox, Class A, Boston, 2004
- Karl Bolt, GCL Phillies, Rookie League, Philadelphia, 2007
- Karl Bolt, Lakewood BlueClaws, Class A, Philadelphia, 2008
- Garrett Custons, Bluefield Blue Jays, Class A, Toronto, 2013
- Ben Yokley, Johnson City Cardinals, Rookie League, St. Louis, 2015
Players Mentioned
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