CARDINALS =
SELECT
BRETT WALLACE WITH THEIR FIRST PICK
Arizona St=
ate
Third Baseman Taken at Pick # 13 in Today’s Draft
The
St. Louis Cardinals today selected third baseman Brett
Wallace with their first pick,
13th overall, in the 2008 First-Year Player Draft.
It was the fourth time in the last eight years that the Cardinals opted for=
a position
player with their top pick. Wallace is the third college player taken by the
Cardinals with their top pick in the last seven drafts. Wallace,
21, is finishing up his junior season with Wallace
is currently batting .414 (94-227) with a career-high 21 home runs and 81 R=
BI
for the Sun Devils. He was recently named the Pac-10 Player of the Year for=
the
second consecutive season, becoming just the fi=
fth
player in conference history to win the award in back-to-back seasons. Wall=
ace
is also one of five finalists for the Golden Spikes award, presented to the
premier amateur baseball player in the nation. “To
draft a hitter like Wallace gives us additional organizational depth in an =
area
of need,” said Cardinals Vice President/General Manager =
John
Mozeliak. “Landing a
hitter of his caliber makes this an exciting day for the Cardinals.”<=
o:p> The
6’1”, 245-pound Wallace captured the Pac-10 Triple Crown as a
sophomore last season, posting a .404 batting average with 16 home runs and=
78
RBI. With his 21 home runs in 2008, he became the 12th player in school his=
tory
to hit 20-or-more home runs in a season. He now has 44 career home runs, ti=
ed
for 5th-most in school history and one shy of Barry Bonds (4th place). “We’ve
been following Wallace since high school and are very excited to have had h=
im
available to select at our spot in the draft,” said Cardinals Vice
President of Amateur Scouting & Player Development Jeff
Luhnow. “He is on=
e of
the premier collegiate hitters and we feel that will carry over to the
professional ranks.” Wallace
resides in