Unknown: Rett Varner, RHP

[Ralph]

Discuss

Drafted by Cubs in 34th rd last year.

[emkayseven]

6'4", 185

senior so no leverage, should be an easy sign
--------------------
goes by Rett

[tjfla]

http://www.utamavs.com/sports/m-base...er_rett00.html

Out of UT-Arlington and goes by Rett Varner

was named fourth best MLB Draft prospect from TCL league by Baseball America's Top Prospect List of collegiate summer leagues

[emkayseven]

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NBmwZQYwfn8&feature=related[/ame]
--------------------
redshirted at BYU so he's a little older (22, born feb 1988)

[Ralph]

- RHP Varner entered the spring as one of the better collegiate arms available, though he was already 22 when the season started. He started out the spring as the Sunday starter on a team that was better-known for having Michael Choice, and he's since improved to the Saturday role. His natural stuff is solid and has some upside, as he carries a rather thin 6'4'' frame with him to the mound. His fastball is a slightly above-average fastball in the 91-93 range, and he complements it with a solid-average curveball and changeup, and he projects as a #3/4 starter in the long run. The big concern now is durability and questionable results against relatively weak college bats, and he needs to really work on commanding his pitches down in the zone. He gives up too many home runs for the competition he faces, and even though he will always work as a fly ball pitcher, he needs to be more consistent about missing down rather than up. If he firms up his command of his secondaries, he could be a helium prospect, but for now he's an early second day arm with some potential. Projected Draft Range: 4th-7th Round

http://macksmets.blogspot.com/2010/0...larke-joe.html

[LocoMarlinFan]

6'4", 185

senior so no leverage, should be an easy sign
--------------------
goes by Rett

Actually a Jr, but he had to red shirt a yr I believe

[Bobbob1313]

http://www.utamavs.com/sports/m-base.../teamcume.html

He's under Rett Varner.

Decent numbers, lots of hits allowed, but good control and only 23 XBHs in 103 IP with aluminum bats.

[Ralph]

Sounds like an extreme fly ball pitcher. Maybe another Elih Villanueva maybe something better if he can strike guys out.

[emkayseven]

threw a complete game shutout a few weeks back and didn't go to 3 balls on anyone
--------------------

Varner threw his first career complete-game shutout in leading the Mavericks to a 6-0 victory over Texas State. It was the school's sixth shutout of the season, which is the most since 1992. Varner, a junior from Trophy Club, Texas (Northwest), needed only 100 pitches (69 strikes) in his dominating performance as he scattered seven hits without walking a batter and struck out four in his third complete-game of the season. The win was his team-leading seventh of the season. Varner, who never threw three balls to a batter in the game, made it through five innings of work throwing just 51 pitches. He struck out two batters through eight innings and then capped off his outing with a pair of swinging strikeouts to start the ninth. Varner now has 13 consecutive scoreless innings pitched.

http://www.southland.org/ViewArticle...CLID=204949831

[tjfla]

I actually like the last 2 picks. Both guys who if they get command under could move thru the system fast,plus both should come cheap

[emkayseven]

Righthander Rett Varner redshirted at Brigham Young in 2007 and turned down the Cubs when they took him in the 34th round as a draft-eligible sophomore a year ago. After a slow start, he came on strong in the second half, showing a better feel for pitching with a heavy fastball that peaks at 96. He also throws a good changeup, and a late-breaking slurve that lacks consistency. His 6-foot-4, 200-pound frame is another positive in his favor.

from BA

[emkayseven]

An alumnus of Del Rio’s youth baseball leagues has been taken in this year’s Major League Baseball draft.

Joseph Rett Varner, the son of Valerie McReynolds Varner of Comstock and Randy Varner of Trophy Club, Texas, was drafted in the sixth round of this year’s draft Tuesday by the Florida Marlins.

Varner is a redshirted junior, right-handed pitcher who competed at the University of Texas-Arlington. He was drafted 197th overall. He is only the seventh player ever from UT-Arlington to be drafted among the top six rounds of the draft.

“He called me about 20 minutes after they called him,” Valerie said this morning. “I was not able to be there with him yesterday but we had talked earlier in the day and I asked him what was the best way for me to follow the draft. He told me to go to MLB.com so I was listening to that while I was at work. I was listening and actually heard them call his name before he called me.”

“I heard them announce his name and I was just screaming and crying tears of joy. My co-workers ran in to see what was going on. I’ll never forget that voice I heard call out his name. My heart was just jumping and I was weak for the rest of the day,” Valerie said. “There were a couple of times I thought about going home to get something to eat and then racing back to my office then I thought I would miss it so I decided to just sit there and wait.”

This was the second year Varner was drafted. He was selected in the 34th round of the 2009 draft by the Chicago Cubs but did not sign and was re-entered in this year’s draft.

Varner was a 2010 All-Southland Conference honorable mention selection as his ERA was fourth best in the conference and he finished tied for third in wins. For the season Varner was 8-5 and carried an ERA of 3.56 with 95 strikeouts in 103.2 innings pitched.

He pitched three years for UT-Arlington and holds a career record of 11-10 with a 4.10 ERA and 163 strikeouts in 191 innings. He’s also pitched the past two years for the Coppell Copperheads of the Texas Collegiate League.

Varner began his baseball career as part of a Comstock T-ball team called the Comstock Cubs. He played in the Del Rio National Little League and continued playing baseball locally with the Del Rio Babe Ruth Baseball League.

He graduated from Justin Northwest High School in Trophy Club before attending Brigham Young University. He transferred to UT-Arlington in 2008.

Valerie said that though her son is a man of few words she knew what being drafted meant to him.

“I knew this is what he wanted. It’s been his dream since he was a little boy,” Valerie said. “When I talked to him yesterday he didn’t know where he would have to go or when. He still hasn’t decided if he’s going to sign or not, but comparing this year to last year to me he’s more improved and ready to go. I told him to weigh out the positives and the negatives, to think it through and to let God direct him and make the right choice. We’ll see what happens.”

Rett isn’t the only athlete in the family. His older brother Ryan Varner, who ran for the Del Rio High School track and field team as a sophomore in the 2003-04 school year before eventually graduating from Justin Northwest, competed in track and field for Texas Tech University and the University of North Texas at Denton.

“Both of my boys have been blessed with great talent. They’ve each excelled in their sports and I’m very proud of both of them. I hope that younger athletes from this area can see what they’ve accomplished and understand that no matter who you are, or where you’re from, if you work hard and dream big you can get there. I also hope parents continue to support their kids and encourage them to dream big and show them that if they want to achieve their goals they’re going to have to work for it,” Valerie said.

http://www.delrionewsherald.com/stor...3200d3ac1a24e3

[LocoMarlinFan]

Signed for 125,000

Source BA

http://www.baseballamerica.com/draft....php?team=1027