Where Are They Now? 2016 VA/DC Draft Class
April 26, 2018
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With the NFL Draft starting tonight and the MLB Amateur Draft about six weeks away, we wanted to take a look back at 2016, which was a banner year for Prep players from Virginia and DC, with seven players getting drafted overall and three signing professional contracts. the three that signed were all taken in the top four rounds of the draft.
Today we begin a new series where we look back at recent graduates to see how they are doing at the next level. We begin with a look at the 2016 Virginia Prep Draft Class:
Players Who Signed
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Joe Rizzo 3B / Oakton, VA / 2016Rizzo was a South Carolina commit and was a second round pick by the Mariners and the 50th player taken in the draft. He had a strong Rookie ball debut after signing, hitting .291 in 2016. After spending most of 2017 in the Low-A, hitting .254, Rizzo made it to High Class-A Modesto at the end of the season, and that is where he has opened his 2018 season. He's off to a slow start from a batting average standpoint, hitting .227 so far this spring, but as of Monday he had driven in 13 runs in 19 games played.
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Khalil Lee OF / LHP / Flint Hill, VA / 2016Lee was a Liberty commit and was a third round pick, taken by the Royals. He also had a strong Rookie ball debut, hitting .269 and slugging .484 in his 2016 pro debut. His average in the South Atlantic league in 2017 wasn't great, but he showed his power/speed potential, hitting 17 home runs and 24 doubles while also stealing 20 bases. He has had an outstanding start to his 2018 in the High Class-A Carolina League, hitting .283 with a .450 on-base percentage through 18 games. He has already stolen six bases without being caught this spring and has two home runs in weather that has not been conducive to driving the ball.
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Brenan Hanifee RHP / 3B / Turner Ashby, VA / 2016Hanifee was an East Carolina commit and was a late riser in the Pre-Draft process and was taken in the fourth round by the Orioles. He had to wait a while for his debut in the Orioles system, skipping Rookie ball and not debuting until mid-summer in 2017 in the short season New York-Penn League. In his debut, he threw 68 innings for Aberdeen and posted a 2.75 ERA in a league that is mostly filled with college draft picks. This year, Hanifee was sent our for his first full-season assignment, going to Low Class-A Delmarva, where he is in the rotation and has made 3 starts so far, with a 3.32 ERA and just 3 walks in 19 innings while picking up 12 strikeouts and pitching to a 0.95 WHIP. |
Players Who Went to College
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Jamie Sara RHP / 3B / West Potomac, VA / 2016Sara was another late riser in the pre-draft process and was taken in the twelth round by the Padres. He opted to honor his commitment to William & Mary and threw 19.2 innings across three starts and nine other appearances as a freshman for the Tribe. In 2018, he again has split duty between the rotation and the bullpen and has thrown 26 innings so far with 26 strikeouts and a 6.58 ERA.
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Zack Hess RHP / 1B / Liberty Christian Academy, VA / 2016Rankings StateRank: 3 / POS: 1 OverallRank: 32 / POS: 9 College Draft 100Rank: 29 / POS: 9 PBR Draft BoardRank: 100 / POS: 40 HS Draft 100Rank: 59 / POS: 17
Hess was taken in the 35th round by the Yankees and opted to attend LSU. For the Tigers, he had a monster freshman season and was named to the Freshman All-America Team. He spent the first half of the season as a mid-week starter before moving to the bullpen and posting a dominant College World Series as the Tigers' closer. Ultimately, he went 7-1 with 4 saves in 60.2 innings, striking out 83 and allowing just 39 hits as a freshman. In 2018, Hess has moved into LSU’s weekend rotation and as the season has progressed he has become their Friday night starter. Overall, he is 6-4 with a 3.79 ERA in 59 innings, with 73 strikeouts and just 46 hits allowed. He has won games against Texas, Missouri, Mississippi State, Texas A&M, and Tennessee so far this spring. |
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Noah Murdock RHP / Colonial Heights, VA / 2016Murdock was taken in the 38th round by the Nationals and opted to head to college. In 2017 as a freshman at Virginia, Murdock earned seven starts and threw 38 innings total while putting together a 3-1 record. He held opponents to a .219 batting average and allowed over the season while earning ACC All-Freshman team honors. So far in 2018, he has thrown just three innings for the Cavaliers.
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Michael Bienlien RHP / Great Bridge, VA / 2016Bienlien was taken in the 40th round by the Reds and opted to head to NC State. His freshman year he earned ACC All-Freshman Team honors and ultimately made it into the Wolfpack's weekend rotation by the middle of the season. He ended up posting a 4.66 ERA while going 3-3 over 57 innings, picking up 39 strikeouts. So far in 2018, he has split time between the bullpen and the rotation, starting seven games and appearing in five others. He has a 6.39 ERA in 25 innings.
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More 2018 HS Notebook