Four Buckeyes Picked in Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft – Ohio State Buckeyes
6/8/2004 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
June 8, 2004
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Four Buckeyes – Scott Lewis, Drew Anderson, Josh Newman and Trent Luyster – were taken in the 50-round First Year Player Draft held Monday and Tuesday by Major League Baseball.
Lewis, a third-round pick by the Cleveland Indians (77th overall pick), started five games this season after undergoing elbow surgery in May 2003. The junior left-handed pitcher from Washington Court House, Ohio (Washington) was 1-0 with a 3.48 ERA in 20.2 innings this season, following up a 2003 campaign in which he earned Big Ten Pitcher of the Year honors. Lewis, Ohio State’s 10th First Team All-American, led the conference with a 1.61 ERA and 127 strikeouts in 83.2 innings and was 9-1 his sophomore season.
Anderson, a 13th-round selection by the Cincinnati Reds (378th overall) started all 61 games this season at second base in 2004 and earned Second Team All-Big Ten honors after leading the team with 18 doubles and 51 runs. The junior infielder, who was a Preseason All-American by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association, had 82 hits, five doubles, four home runs and batted in 30 runs this season and was a perfect 20-for-20 in stolen bases.
Newman improved his draft status by returning to Ohio State for his senior season. After getting picked in the 30th round by the Cincinnati Reds in 2003, the Colorado Rockies picked him in the 19th round this year (560th overall). The senior from Wheelersburg, Ohio (Wheelersburg) made 15 starts for the Buckeyes this season and finished with an 8-6 record and a 4.01 ERA in 103.1 innings. He had 100 strikeouts against 32 walks while holding opposing batters to a .239 batting average.
Luyster was the last Buckeye taken in the draft, going to the Chicago Cubs in the 39th round (1,176th overall). The junior from Flushing, Ohio (Harrison Central) served double-duty, pitching in relief early in the season before settling into the weekend rotation. He had a 4-5 record with a 4.08 ERA and four saves in 81.2 innings. He made 20 appearances with nine starts and struck out 68 batters and limiting the opposition to a .289 batting average.
The four picks from Ohio State this season are the most since four Buckeyes were selected in 2002, the year Nick Swisher was the highest selection in school history, going to the Oakland Athletics as the 17th overall pick.
2004 Ohio State Draftees Name Rd. Pick Team Scott Lewis 3rd 77th Cleveland Indians Drew Anderson 13th 378th Cincinnati Reds Josh Newman 19th 560th Colorado Rockies Trent Luyster 39th 1,176th Chicago Cubs
