Five Aztecs Drafted by MLB Teams

San Diego State pitchers Jon Berger and Tyler Lavigne were chosen during the third day of Major League Baseball’s first-year player draft which concluded June 11.

The inclusion of the two Aztec right-handers brings to five the total number of SDSU players selected during the annual professional draft.

About Berger and Lavigne

Berger, a senior, was taken by the San Diego Padres in the 33rd round while teammate Lavigne (a junior) was a 50th-round pick of the St. Louis Cardinals. Both players hail from Las Vegas and came to San Diego State from the College of Southern Nevada.

Berger made 15 appearances for the Aztecs in 2009 including 14 starts, compiling a mark of 4-5 with a 5.83 earned run average. Over his 88 innings of work he struck out 72 while walking only 12. His dozen bases on ball allowed ranked him 12th in the nation in walks allowed per nine innings (1.23) and he did not walk more than two batters in any contest in 2009.

Lavigne finished with a record of 8-2 along with a 3.05 earned run average. He was a second-team all-Mountain West Conference selection whose strikeout total of 87 overall and 41 in league games ranked second in the MWC only to teammate Stephen Strasburg. His 6.78 hits allowed per nine innings was the 20th-best mark in the nation and opponents hit just .209 against him.

Other draftees

Berger and Lavigne were the fourth and fifth Aztecs selected in the 2009 MLB draft. The complete list of SDSU players selected is as follows:

• Stephen Strasburg, right-handed pitcher, drafted 1st overall by the Washington Nationals
• Erik Castro, third baseman/catcher, drafted by Houston Astros in the 10th round
• Goldy Simmons, right-handed pitcher, drafted by the Chicago White Sox in the 23rd round
• Jon Berger, right-handed pitcher, drafted by the San Diego Padres in the 33rd round
• Tyler Lavigne, right-handed pitcher, drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals in the 50th round