6 Former Pippins Selected on MLB Draft’s Third Day

YAKIMA, Wash. – The 2019 MLB Draft came to its conclusion on Wednesday with the 11th through 40th rounds, and 6 former Yakima Valley Pippins heard their name called on the draft’s third day. Christian Koss, Daniel Cope, Johnny DeLuca, Jordon Bocko, Mikey Filia, and Dillon Plew were all selected on Wednesday.

Koss, a shortstop who played for the Pippins in 2016 prior to his freshman year at UC Irvine, was selected by the Colorado Rockies in the 12th round, with the 369th overall pick. The 2019 Big West Conference Defensive Player of the Year, Koss hit .306 in 45 games in 2016 for the Pippins, and was a 1st-team All-West Coast League selection. He joins 2014 WCL MVP Vince Fernandez as former Pippins in the Rockies organization.

Cope, a catcher, was also selected by the Rockies on Wednesday, with the 399th overall pick in the 13th round. Cope, who played for the Pippins in 2017, after his freshman year at Cal State Fullerton, was one of six Pippins All-Stars that year as the WCL All-Star Game was held in Yakima.  Cope hit .256 that summer, and .279 over his 3-year college career.

DeLuca, who played for the Pippins in 2017, before his freshman year at Oregon, was selected in the 25th round by the Los Angeles Dodgers. The switch-hitting outfielder was an honorable mention All-WCL pick that summer after batting .287 with 8 doubles and 2 home runs. A draft-eligible sophomore, he hit 11 home runs in 2 seasons with Oregon.

Bocko, a right-handed pitcher from UC Irvine, was the 28th-round draft choice of the Washington Nationals. He pitched in 4 games for the Pippins in 2016, after his freshman season with the Anteaters, and had a 1.65 ERA in 16.1 innings. He was a key arm out of the Irvine bullpen in four seasons, appearing in 81 games.

Filia, an outfielder from UC Irvine, played for the Pippins in 2016, after his redshirt season with the Anteaters. A 31st round pick of the Kansas City Royals, he hit .250 over three seasons in Irvine.

2017 Pippin Dillon Plew, out of Washington State, was the penultimate selection in the draft, by the Houston Astros in the 40th round. A WCL All-Star and honorable mention All-League pick that summer, Plew hit .295 with 24 RBIs. Over three years in Pullman, he was a career .280 hitter with 32 doubles.

 

By Miles Klotz

June 6, 2019