Baseball: SWR’s Brian Morrell drafted by Philadelphia Phillies
One day after earning the Carl Yastrzemski Award as the top baseball player in Suffolk County, Shoreham-Wading River’s Brian Morrell was drafted in the Major League Baseball draft by the Philadelphia Phillies.
Morrell, a 6-foot-1, right-handed pitcher, was taken in the 35th round with the 1,043rd pick just after 5 p.m. Wednesday. An hour later, Shoreham graduate Tyler Osik (’14) was drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 40th and final round. The Pirates are the team his father, Keith, played seven seasons for from 1996 through 2002. Tyler Osik, an infielder/catcher, most recently played for Chipola College in Florida.
The Phillies had been one of the teams that scouted Morrell closest, along with the Chicago Cubs, New York Mets and a handful of other teams.
Morrell is committed to attend the University of Notre Dame. He had hoped to hear his name called yesterday during rounds 3-10, but the way the draft is set up with signing bonuses and college commitments makes it an unpredictable venture. One team that had expressed interest yesterday in earlier rounds never did take him.
Players drafted have until July 15 to sign a contract. If he opts not to sign and attend school instead, he would be eligible to be drafted again after three years.
It’s the second straight year a Shoreham player has been drafted. Mike O’Reilly, a 2012 graduate and former Yastrzemski winner, was drafted last year by the St. Louis Cardinals and is currently pitching for the Peoria Chiefs in Class A.
The last Shoreham player drafted out of high school was Julio Vega in 1990 by the San Francisco Giants.
The Phillies also drafted another Suffolk County player, Benjamin Brown of Ward Melville. The 6-6 right-handed pitcher was selected in the 33rd round.
