Scotts Valley standout pitcher Robbie Erlin will likely turn pro after his selection by the Texas Rangers with the 93rd pick in the third round of the Major League Baseball amateur draft.
“I was very excited and kind of surprised at the same time,” Erlin said. “I was told I probably would not get taken in the third (round). It would be the fourth or fifth.”
The 2009 Scotts Valley High graduate said that if the Rangers meet his asking price, he will forgo the athletic scholarship he was offered to attend California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, to play professionally.
“I still haven’t signed anything yet,” Erlin said on Wednesday, June 10, a day after his selection. “We still have to do the negotiations.”
Erlin, who is represented by agent Adam Karon, is not at liberty to say how much he is asking for, but last year’s 93rd pick, outfielder Kyle Russell, signed with the Dodgers for $410,000.
“I had feedback from scouts throughout the year and came up with a range where I can see myself signing,” Erlin said.
He is the second Scotts Valley High School baseball player drafted — Erlin follows 2004 graduate Tyler Fockler, who was taken in the 44th round by the Detroit Tigers in 2004. Erlin said he didn’t care which organization drafted him but is excited about the prospect of playing for the Rangers.
“They’re a good organization — good for developing pitchers,” Erlin said, mentioning that Hall-of-Fame pitcher Nolan Ryan recently joined the team’s front office.
Erlin’s draft stock rose as the batters fell like bowling pins this season. In 62 innings pitched, the lefty hurler went 9-1 and struck out 125 batters with only 10 walks while compiling a 0.34 earned-run average.
He also had a streak of 45 scoreless innings and struck out 16 batters in his final game, an extra-innings loss in the Central Coast Section playoffs. He led his team to the league title and was named player of the year in the Santa Cruz Coast Athletic League.
“Assuming I sign with the Rangers, (my goal) is to keep playing and getting better and developing and to make it as far as I can in the organization,” Erlin said.
