Yankees take righthanded pitcher Josh Grosz in 11th round of MLB Draft
East Carolina's Josh Grosz pitches during an NCAA baseball game on Feb. 26 in Raleigh, N.C. Credit: AP/Ben McKeown
Josh Grosz did something deemed so wrong in a game that he was ejected and suspended for the next one.
His issue? Well, it came with a sandwich.
Jacob Starling hit a homer, then headed through his happy teammates lining the path back to the East Carolina dugout. That’s when Grosz gave Starling a sandwich. An umpire felt Grosz violated an NCAA rule by having a prop on the field for a celebration.
“That’s the new rules, I guess,” East Carolina coach Cliff Godwin was quoted as saying after that opening round AAC tournament loss against South Florida in May. “No fun baseball.”
Maybe Grosz will have more fun if he signs with the Yankees’ organization. The team selected the 6-4 righty with its first pick on the third and final day of the MLB Draft Tuesday, taking him in the 11th round.
The junior, who has reached 96 mph with his fastball and has a good slider, started 16 games and went 4-2 with a 3.66 ERA and 79 strikeouts in 76 1/3 innings this past season. But, he walked 41.
His MLB.com scouting report noted he could be a No. 4 or 5 starter, and that Grosz "has room to add more muscle and thus more power to his stuff. Getting stronger also could help him upgrade his fringy control and command."
The Yankees also picked 6-5 Dallas Baptist lefty reliever Brady Rose in the 12th round. They drafted six pitchers over rounds 11-20 and 10 out of their 18 selections over the three days.
