Round 17 | Derek Varnadore | RHP | Auburn | NOT SIGNED

[tjfla]

Discuss
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Auburn pitcher Derek Varnadore and shortstop Casey McElroy will keep a close eye on Day 2 of the Major League Baseball amateur draft today, as will the Tigers' coaches.

Varnadore and McElroy are the top two draft-eligible juniors on the team and will likely be selected at some point of the draft, which began with the first round Monday night. Rounds 2 through 30 are today, with rounds 31 to 50 on Wednesday.

Varnadore, a former Chattahoochee Valley Community College standout who was the Tigers' staff ace last year, said after Auburn's SEC tournament loss to Georgia that he planned to be back next year, although draft position and potential bonus money could alter that stance. The right-hander went 6-3 with a 3.68 ERA last year with 74 strikeouts in 88 innings.

[emkayseven]

Junior right-hander Derek Varnadore was the third Auburn baseball player selected in Tuesday's Major League Baseball Draft as the Florida Marlins took him in the 17th round with pick No. 523.

Transferring to Auburn for the 2011 season from Chattahoochee Valley Community College, Varnadore was the ace of the Auburn pitching staff last year, leading the team in wins (six), ERA (3.68), strike outs (74) and innings (88.0). A 6-4 hurler, he led the staff with six quality starts, throwing two complete games, including a shutout in his second outing of the season and a shutout of Georgia in May.

For Varnadore, this was the first time he was drafted in his career. He joined Dan Gamache (sixth round, Pittsburgh) and Casey McElroy (11th round, San Diego) as current Auburn baseball players to be drafted on Tuesday, which is rounds 2-30 of the 50-round draft.

http://auburntigers.cstv.com/sports/...060711aae.html
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Auburn, Ala.--One of the biggest question marks surrounding the Auburn baseball program in the last decade has been on the mound as the Tigers have been without a dominant number one guy since Levale Speigner.

Even in 2010 coach John Pawlowski’s club won 43 games and the SEC Western Division title despite pitching backwards with their top guy Grant Dayton usually pitching on Sunday. With veterans such as Cory Luckie, Jon Luke Jacobs and Slade Smith all returning with experience the search is still on for the three starting rotation pitchers this season.

One of the newcomers that has put himself in a position to earn a spot on the mound in either a starting role or long relief is powerful Derek Varnadore from Chattahoochee Valley Community College. A 6-4, 230-pounder originally from Athens, Ga., Varnadore came in for fall practice and has quickly put himself in a position to help his new team.

“I’m just excited to be here and ready to get this thing going,” Varnadore said. “Coming from junior college it’s totally different than what I’m used to. I grew up watching Georgia so I’m used to be around the SEC environment. Now I’m just ready to play in it.

“I’m just really excited to get going,” Varnadore added. “I have been waiting on this for a long time. I’m just happy to be here.”

A standout in high school earning All-Northeast Georgia honors, Varnadore had a strong senior season with a 9-4 record, an ERA of just 2.26, and 93 strikeouts in 71 innings. That followed up a solid junior year as well when he won five games with an ERA of 1.52. Despite those numbers Varnadore said he only had some small school offers on the table before he decided to attend Chattahoochee Valley.

Playing for one of the top programs in Georgia Varnadore quickly realized he needed to improve in several areas on the mound to have a chance to play in the SEC. Getting his feet wet as a freshman he was 6-5 with a 3.91 ERA and 94 strikeouts. Becoming more physical he came into his own as a sophomore as he was a perfect 7-0 with a 3.64 earned run average.

Those two years put Varnadore on the right track to being a better pitcher, something he said only improved in his first fall at Auburn. Working to get even bigger and stronger, he added that becoming a student of the game is a big part of his improvement as well.

“It helped me out a lot,” Varnadore said. “I have gotten a lot stronger and I have gained a good bit of weight. I have gained 10 pounds since I have been here. I guess the biggest thing is I’ve gotten bigger and stronger and I have learned how to pitch instead of just throw. That’s what I’m working on now.”

With so many questions about Auburn’s pitching staff Varnadore said he’s excited about his possibilities in the 2011 season but just like his head coach he’s still unsure of what his role will be this coming year.

“I have no clue yet,” Varnadore said. “I’m just here to do what coach P (Pawlowski) says. I have thrown a two-inning outing and I have thrown a four-inning outing. I don’t really know yet where I’m going to fit in.”

With the chance to break into the rotation and pitch in the Southeastern Conference this preseason has been one of absolute importance for Varnadore and his fellow newcomers on the mound. Even with that carrot dangling in front of him every day the big junior said that it hasn’t changed his focus nor his goals for the season.

“I was going to do that anyway,” Varnadore said. “I’m just here to contribute. Whatever coach wants me to do that’s what I’m going to do. I’m just going to give it everything I’ve got.”

http://auburn.scout.com/2/1048139.html
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“(Scouts) won’t tell you much,” Varnadore said. “They want to know everything about you and what it’s going to take to sign you, but they don’t want to tell you anything about where they’re projecting you or anything like that.”

Varnadore, a 6-foot-4, 225-pound righty with a fastball that consistently hits the low-90s, thought he had a chance to go late in last year’s draft out of Chattahoochee Valley Community College, but he said he made it clear to scouts that he wanted a chance to pitch in the SEC.

He became the Tigers’ ace last season, going 6-3 with a 3.68 ERA and 74 strikeouts in 88 innings, putting him in position to possibly make the jump to the pros.

“It’s just kind of weird because it’s everything all at once,” Varnadore said. “It’s definitely a little stressful because I’ve got people pulling me from different sides.”

http://www2.wrbl.com/m/sports/2011/j...ft-ar-1931626/

[LocoMarlinFan]

Derek Varnadore, Casey McElroy, other Auburn players will be keeping close eye on today's MLB draft

Derek Varnadore, Auburn's top pitcher, said after the SEC tournament that he planned to be back on the Plains in 2012.

But a big offer from a major-league club could make his decision more difficult.
Varnadore is one a handful of current and future Tigers who could get picked in the MLB amateur draft, which begins today.

Auburn has at least two signees who could weigh professional contracts. Right-handed pitchers Clay Holmes, from Slocomb High, and Rocky McCord, from Spanish Fort, both are coming off strong senior high school seasons and are projected to be picked by Baseball America.

Among current players, Varnadore could attract strong interest because of his performance in his first year of major college baseball after transferring to Auburn from junior college.

Varnadore went 6-3 with a 3.68 ERA, striking out 74 in 88 innings. Jon-Luke Jacobs, another junior pitcher coming off a strong season, is expected to return to Auburn for his senior season.

Among position players, junior shortstop Casey McElroy (.372 average/.429 on-base percentage/ .564 slugging percentage) was a first-team All-SEC selection who had an impressive performance last summer in the Cape Cod League. He could depart if the offer is right. Junior infielder Dan Gamache (.299/.414/.464) is also coming off a good season.

Several seniors will hope to get a shot at professional baseball after completing their college eligibility, including second baseman Justin Hargett, catcher Tony Caldwell, first baseman Kevin Patterson and outfielder Justin Fradejas.

http://www.al.com/sports/index.ssf/2...y_mcelroy.html

Alabama-Auburn notebook: Vardamore plans to return to Plains

HOOVER -- Derek Varnadore, the Tigers' most valuable pitcher this season, soon may be faced with a difficult decision.

The right-hander finished the season 6-3 with a 3.68 ERA. He throws in the low 90s and managed to strike out nearly eight batters per nine innings this season, which will earn him notice among professional scouts.

Will Varnadore return for his senior season if he's selected in the major league draft next month?

"My plan is to be right back here," he said Thursday.

Tide plumbs for pitching: Thursday's loss to Florida makes for left the Crimson Tide searching for more pitchers, since two additional now are required to win the tournament title.

"When we get back (to the hotel), we'll talk about it," Alabama coach Mitch Gaspard said. "Probably (Jonathan) Smart (today against Arkansas). Obviously, it'll be difficult in the position we're in right now. You've just got to piece it together. At this point, it's one game at a time."

Short and sweet: Varnadore's velocity caused major problems for Georgia during the first two innings Thursday.

"He looked like he was knocking the bat out of our hands," Georgia coach David Perno said.

So the Bulldogs made an adjustment. Perno advised his hitters to begin using a two-strike approach at all times, in which batters employ a shorter, quicker swing with simply making contact rather than power in mind.

The plan worked. Georgia notched seven hits during Varnadore's final three innings after accomplishing nothing during the early stages.

"We strung some hits together," outfielder Zach Cone said. "We didn't do that last time (against Auburn)."

http://www.montgomeryadvertiser.com/...-return-Plains