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Thursday, June 18, 2020
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
SPORTS
Rockies draft Blomgren
In the fourth round of the
2020 MLB Draft Thursday, the
Colorado Rockies selected junior
shortstop Jack Blomgren with the
140th overall pick.
The Rockies acquired a two-
way shortstop with a knack for
getting on-base and dynamic
infielding capabilities. Blomgren
started almost as soon as his
freshman campaign began and
though he struggled offensively
his freshman season, Blomgren’s
career .276 batting average, .399
on-base percentage, and .956
fielding percentage signal the sort
of consistency that professional
teams seek in prospective captains
of their infields.
Blomgren did not attract draft
attention out of high school, but
his characteristic work-ethic and
competitive fire drove him to
make the developments necessary
to hear his name called in this
year’s shortened draft.
“My mindset going into every
at-bat is putting the team first
and competing for my teammates
behind me that are cheering
me on,” Blomgren told The
Daily during the 2020 season.
“Everything I’ve put in, prepared
for, is for the guys behind me, and
that’s what’s so important for this
whole team and for me especially.”
The
fact
that
Blomgren
speaks of setting up for the guys
behind him makes sense given
his tendency to hit singles, but
his growing ability to drive in
runs himself is perhaps his most
interesting development during
his time in Ann Arbor.
While Blomgren notched only
13 extra-base hits in 2019, he drove
in 47 runs, which put him only 17
runs batted in behind the team’s
leader Jimmy Kerr. Kerr accrued
31 extra-base hits, but the lack of
distance between the two players’
RBI
numbers
suggests
that
Blomgren can provide teams with
clutch hits, a valuable commodity
for MLB teams.
With Blomgren’s timely hitting
and
stellar
defense
harking
back to age-old pillars of a good
baseball player, combined with his
propensity to get on base meshing
with the modern style of the game,
the Rockies used their fifth round
pick to select a shortstop built for
success.
Jordan Nwogu picked 88th by Cubs
The Chicago Cubs used the
88th overall pick to draft junior
outfielder Jordan Nwogu Thursday
night.
If Nwogu chooses to sign, which
he plans to, the Cubs’ gain might
just be bigger than the Wolverines’
loss. He capitalized on the 15-game
sliver of 2020, posting a cumulative
.353 batting average, .389 on-base
percentage
and
.456
slugging
against exclusively NCAA-Regional
level competition, despite the lack
of top-of-the-order protection in
the season’s opening weekends.
Michigan’s offense ran through
Nwogu in 2020, and the pressure to
be ‘the man’ is evident in his metrics.
His on-base to batting average
differential is slim, and three steals
in seven attempts yields an ugly
percentage.
His
aggressiveness
at the plate and on the basepaths
showed
Michigan
coach
Erik
Bakich’s reliance on Nwogu to
reach base and score. And with the
rest of the lineup’s struggles to drive
in or advance Nwogu, Bakich’s
decision to put all of the chips on an
extremely capable player in Nwogu
was understandable.
As other bats began to heat up
and the Wolverines started non-
conference play against weaker
competition, it’s safe to assume
that Nwogu would have become
more conservative and efficient
on the basepaths, similar to his
improvement
in
baserunning
from last season. In addition to
experiencing upward trends in
on-base and slugging percentages,
he put up a .992 OPS last season
when he was surrounded by Jordan
Brewer and Jimmy Kerr.
On defense this season, Nwogu
was thrust into a starting outfielder
role due to the departure of Jordon
Brewer and the injury to Jesse
Franklin. He handled only 24
chances in 2019, a small sample size
to predict future performance, but
practiced diligently in the offseason
after being a designated hitter for
most of 2019.
“He took a million fly balls out
there in left field,” Bakich said of his
offseason.
In 2020, as a result from
offseason practice, Nwogu handled
28 errorless chances and led the
team in outfield assists.
The Wolverines won’t get the
chance to see just how good Nwogu
can become in the outfield. That
privilege belongs to the Cubs, who
know his offensive floor is high
and who can help him reach his
defensive ceiling.
Oakland Athletics select Jeff Criswell with 58th pick of MLB draft
In the second round of the 2020
MLB Draft Thursday, the Oakland
Athletics used the 58th pick to select
junior right-hander Jeff Criswell.
In Criswell, the Athletics gain
a pitcher who is a proven reliever
and starter at the collegiate level.
Criswell established himself as a
reliever in his freshman season,
posting a 2.23 earned-run average
while striking out 32 batters in 32.1
innings of work, before transitioning
to the starting rotation prior to the
2019 season.
The six-foot-four right-hander
from Portage, Michigan accrued
a 7-1 record as a starter, improving
with each outing, en route to an All-
Big Ten First Team selection. In the
midst of the Wolverines’ postseason
run last season, Bakich retained
the confidence to stick Criswell
back in the bullpen, and Criswell
showed no letdown after a year
away from being a reliever, proving
his versatility.
It is likely, though, that Criswell’s
development over his three years
in Ann Arbor leads to the Athletics
viewing him as a starting pitching
prospect.
“He was very valuable for us last
year,” Michigan coach Erik Bakich
said in a press conference before
the 2020 season. “He has gone from
being maybe more of a thrower as
a freshman, to a true pitcher with
three-plus pitches, to a guy who’s
regarded as one of the best amongst
his peers. We’re glad to have him,
and we’re sure glad he’s pitching for
us on Fridays.”
Criswell’s stature provides him
with the prototypical size that MLB
organizations look for in potential
workhorse-type
arms,
and
his
ability to hold his mid-90’s fastball
velocity into the later innings
suggests his strength matches his
size.
The
right-hander
throws
a
steadily improving changeup and
slider along with his plus fastball,
but his greatest asset, perhaps, lies
in his head rather than his arm.
Despite
his
extensive
physical
development,
Criswell
is
most
proud of the significant progress he
has made in his mental game while
playing for Michigan by staying cool
in high-pressure situations.
“Just being able to recognize
where you’re at in the game and
having that self-awareness is really
important,” Criswell told The Daily
after the season. “And it’s a very big
help for me.”
Regardless
of
whether
the
Athletics decide to develop Criswell
as a starter or a reliever, they will
certainly be counting on him to use
the same composure that allowed
him to post a 2.88 career ERA with
the Wolverines in order to pitch out
of jams against professional hitters.
JACOB COHEN
Daily Sports Writer
JACOB COHEN
Daily Sports Writer
JACK WHITTEN
Daily Sports Writer
ALEXANDRIA POMPEI/Daily
Jeff Criswell was the first Wolverine selected in the MLB draft Thursday.
ERIN KIRKLAND/Daily
Junior Outfielder Jordan Nwogu was selected by the Cubs Thursday.