Six Baseball Players Taken in Amateur Draft
6/8/2004 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
June 8, 2004
HOUSTON - Six University of Houston baseball players were recently selected during Major League Baseball's amateur draft.
Junior righthander Garrett Mock was taken in the third round by the Arizona Diamondbacks, while catcher/outfielder Rob Johnson was selected by the Seattle Mariners in the fourth round.
Senior pitcher Matt Varner was taken by the San Diego Padres in the 11th round to cap the Cougar selections during Monday's first day of the draft.
After enduring a tough start to the 2004 season, Mock regained the form that made him a Preseason All-Conference USA Team member. The Houston native posted a team-best 3.71 ERA and won his last four decisions to end the season.
This season, Johnson led the Cougars with 46 RBIs and finished second on the team with seven home runs. He also finished the season at the C-USA Tournament on the heels of a 17-game hitting streak, the second-longest streak of the year for the Cougars.
A senior transfer from Louisiana Tech, Varner emerged as the workhorse on the Cougar pitching staff. He led all UH hurlers with seven wins and 69 strikeouts in 89.1 innings during a team-best 13 starts.
On Tuesday, junior righthander Rickey Putman was chosen in the 20th round by the San Diego Padres. One round later, Tampa Bay selected senior outfielder Patrick Breen.
In the 36th round, senior DH/pitcher Brett Cooley was selected by the St. Louis Cardinals.
Putman made 15 appearances out of the Cougar bullpen in 2004 and earned wins over C-USA rival Louisville and TCU during the first day of the C-USA Tournament.
Another senior transfer, Breen joined the Cougars after playing at Cal Poly. He batted .263 with two home runs and 13 RBIs before his season ended after suffering a broken arm during a collision in the outfield at nationally-ranked Texas A&M on April 13.
Before being hampered by injuries during the last two seasons, Cooley established himself as one of the best power hitters in school history. His 18 home runs in 2002 were the second-highest total in single-season history and he ranks among the Cougars' Top Five career leaders in that category.
Tuesday's selection marked the third time that Cooley had been drafted.