RIVERDALE, N.Y. - After helping the Manhattan College baseball team earn its second straight Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) championship and an appearance in the NCAA Tournament Columbia Regional, junior centerfielder Anthony Vega (Patchogue, N.Y.) was selected by the Baltimore Orioles in the 30th round of the Major League Baseball Draft on Wednesday. Vega was the 912th overall pick.
Vega was named First Team All-MAAC this season after leading the Jaspers in most offensive categories. He hit .326 with 74 hits, 41 runs scored, four triples, 108 total bases and a slugging percentage of .476. In addition, Vega went 32-for-35 on the base paths to rank 13th nationally in stolen bases. He placed second on the team in home runs (5) and RBIs (41), and notched 11 doubles. One of two players on the team to start all 60 games, Vega committed just one error in center field, posting a stellar .993 fielding percentage.
"I'm very excited for Anthony and his family about this opportunity that he has," Head Coach Jim Duffy said. "I'm extremely proud of him and how far he's come as a baseball player. It's also great for the program to have someone drafted."
Vega is the first Manhattan player to get drafted since 2007, when Matt Rizzotti (6th round, Philadelphia), Nick Derba (30th round, St. Louis) and Jesse Darcy (38th round, Tampa Bay) were all selected. Derba currently plays for the Memphis Redbirds, the Cardinals' Double-A affiliate, while Rizzotti is a member of the Triple-A Rochester Red Wings in the Minnesota Twins organization.