Whitmore Selected By Seattle On Draft's Final Day
SECAUCUS, N.J. ? Oregon junior left-hander Bennett Whitmore became the third member of the Ducks’ pitching staff to be selected in the 2009 Major League Baseball Draft after being chosen by the Seattle Mariners in the 32nd round on Thursday afternoon.
Whitmore, the 953rd overall pick, was a part-time starter for Oregon this season, making a total of 15 appearances, including seven starts. The native of Clovis Calif., finished the year with a 1-6 record and 6.17 ERA.
A 6-foot-3 lefty, Whitmore came to Oregon after an All-American season at Fresno City College in 2008. In addition to his All-American accolades, Whitmore was named the 2008 Northern California Pitcher of the Year and was also the Central Valley Conference co-Pitcher of the Year.
He helped Fresno CC to a 37-9 record and made 18 appearances on the mound (13 starts), pitching a total of 99 and 2/3 innings, and finishing the season with an 11-2 record, four complete games and two saves.
He led the CVC with a 1.35 ERA and a .197 opponents’ batting average, and was also selected in the 44nd round (1,341 overall selection) by the Boston Red Sox in the 2008 MLB First-Year Player Draft.
In 2009, Whitmore was part of the Ducks’ weekend rotation for the first six weeks of the season. In his first appearance, Whitmore dealt a season-best 10 strikeout at Saint Mary’s. He also pitched 6 and 1/3 innings of two-run baseball in a 3-2, 13-inning victory over Santa Clara.
His first win of the season came on March 14 at Nevada, when he held the Wolf Pack scoreless over eight innings while scattering eight hits and striking out eight in a 3-0 Oregon shutout.
Whitmore joins fellow Oregon teammates Erik Stavert (7th Round, Colorado) and Drew Gagnier (14thRound, Oakland), who were also selected in this year’s draft.
