Sleeth Drafted Third Overall by the Detroit Tigers
6/3/2003 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Later in the day, a pair of senior All-American outfielders were taken. Adam Bourassa went to the Texas Rangers in the 6th round while the San Diego Padres picked up Ryan Johnson in the 13th round.
During day two of the draft, the Cleveland Indians selected junior right-handed pitcher Adam Hanson in the 42nd round.
Three members of Wake Forest's recruiting class were selected on day one of the draft. Catcher Brandon Yarbrough (Ellerbe, N.C.) was picked up in the fifth round by the St. Louis Cardinals. Lee Land (Durham, N.C), a third baseman and right-handed pitcher, was taken in the 13th round by the Pittsburgh Pirates. Matt Antonelli (Peabody, Mass.), a shortstop, was taken in the 19th round by the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Another Deacon signee, Nick Ewen of Triton Junior College in Illinois, agreed to terms with the Florida Marlins prior to the draft. He was selected by the Marlins in the 46th round of last year's draft and signed with Florida before the re-entry deadline.
Sleeth was the second college player taken in this year's draft and is Wake Forest's third-ever first round draft pick. Kansas City drafted Mike MacDougal 25th overall in 1999 and St. Louis took Bret Wagner 19th overall in 1994.
Sleeth, a two-time All-American at Wake Forest, is a finalist for the Golden Spikes Award given to the top player in college baseball.
In three seasons at Wake Forest, Sleeth has posted a 31-6 record with a 3.47 ERA. He has 53 appearances with 43 starts and six complete games. In 293 career innings, he has 271 strikeouts with 101 walks.
As a freshman in 2001, Sleeth led all Deacon pitchers with 10 wins. In the summer of 2001, Sleeth earned All-Star honors in the prestigious Cape Cod League. As a sophomore, he led the nation in winning percentage with a 14-0 mark including four wins over NCAA Tournament teams. Last summer, Sleeth became the first pitcher in Team USA history to throw two complete game shutouts in the same summer.
Earlier this year, Sleeth, a native of Westminster, Colo., tied the NCAA record for consecutive winning decisions with 26. The streak began during March 2001, his freshman year, and extended into March 2003. Sleeth finished his junior season with 7-3 record, a 2.81 ERA, three complete games, 102 strikeouts in 96 innings with just 29 walks. Sleeth is the eighth Demon Deacon to become a two-time All-American.
D'Antona, a 6-foot-2, 210 pound native of Trumbull, Conn., batted .352 with 58 home runs and 242 runs batted in. He is Wake Forest's all-time leader in home runs and runs batted in. He ranks fifth all-time in ACC history in home runs and sixth all-time in RBI. Among three year players in the ACC, only former Florida State Seminole and current St. Louis Cardinal J.D. Drew had more RBI.
As a freshman, D'Antona played first base and was named as the Collegiate Baseball's Co-National Rookie of the Year with Tulane's Michael Aubrey. He batted .364 with 17 home runs and 77 RBI. As a sophomore, D'Antona moved across the diamond to third base and drilled 20 home runs with 83 RBI. In 2003 as a junior, D'Antona was a first team All-American and the ACC Player of the Year. He led the ACC and ranked among the nation's leaders with 21 home runs and 82 runs batted in. D'Antona batted .360 and had the best fielding percentage among everyday third basemen in the conference (.926).
Bourassa was a two-time first team All-ACC center fielder for the Deacons and a two-time All-Star in the Cape Cod League. He spent his first two years at Kishwaukee Community College in Illinois.
Bourassa joined the Deacons before his junior season and immediately took over in center field. He batted .412 as a junior, stole 26 bases and became only the third Deacon in history to have 100 hits in a single season. He had wo home runs and drove in 41 runs. The 5-foot-8, 175 pound native of Apple Valley, Minn., earned All-America status for his efforts.
Prior to his senior year, Bourassa was named the best defensive outfielder in the ACC. As a senior, Bourassa hit .339 with three home runs, 28 RBI and 29 stolen bases in 30 attempts.
Ryan Johnson was a four-year letterwinner with the Deacons. He ranked second in the ACC in batting average as a senior at .369 and was selected by the league's coaches to the All-ACC second team. He finished the 2003 season with nine home runs and 52 RBI.
As a junior, Johnson was a second team All-American and a first team All-ACC selection for the Deacons with a .366 average, 14 doubles, 13 home runs and 77 RBI.
Johnson, a 6-foot-2 205 pound native of Laguna Hills, Calif., became a regular in 2001 as a sophomore. He batted .357 with three home runs and 31 RBI on Wake Forest's ACC Championship team.
Johnson finished his four-year career with a .356 batting average, 28 home runs and 177 RBI. His 177 RBI rank 9th all-time in Wake Forest history and his .356 batting average ranks 10th.
Adam Hanson has served as a top reliever for the Deacons in his three seasons. He ranks fourth all-time in school history with 84 appearances and was named an honorable mention Freshman All-American in 2001 on Wake Forest's ACC Championship team. During his first three years at Wake Forest, Hanson has a 13-7 record with a 4.93 ERA. In 169 2/3 innings, Hanson has 126 strikeouts and 62 walks.
As a freshman, Hanson posted a 5-3 record with a 5.30 ERA in 26 appearances. In 2002, the Medford, N.J. native owned a 3-0 mark with a 4.50 ERA in 33 games and a pair of saves. He struck out 40 in 56 innings with only 19 walks.
As a junior, Hanson was 5-4 with a 5.02 ERA and three saves. He made 25 appearances and two starts. In 61 innings, Hanson fanned 48 batters with 23 walks.
As a junior, Hanson, like Sleeth and D'Antona, has the option to return to Wake Forest for his senior season.
High school outfielder Delmon Young was drafted first overall by Tampa Bay. Southern University second baseman Rickie Weeks, Sleeth's Team USA teammate went second to Milwaukee.