Ole Miss Baseball All-American outfielder J.B. Woodman heard his name called in the second round of the 2016 Major League Baseball Draft Thursday night (June 9) on MLB Network. The Toronto Blue Jays selected the junior Rebel with the 16th pick of the round and the draft’s 57th overall.
Woodman is the highest Rebel chosen in the MLB Draft since Drew Pomeranz was taken in the first round back in 2010. He is also the first Ole Miss outfielder taken as high as the second round since Seth Smith in 2004 (second round, 50th overall).
Earlier this week (June 7), Woodman was named a Second Team All-America selection by Baseball America, becoming the 23rd All-American in Ole Miss Baseball history. The Orlando, Florida native led the Rebels to a 43-19 record and an NCAA Regional host as a team captain. He earned numerous accolades throughout his junior season, including First Team All-SEC, SEC All-Defense, Ferriss Trophy finalist, National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) National Hitter of the Week (May 3) and SEC Player of the Week (May 2).
Woodman hit .323 during the season with team highs in runs scored (53), RBI (55) and slugging percentage (.578), cracking the SEC’s top 10 in all three categories. The left-handed slugger is the SEC’s home run leader with 14 blasts, looking to become the first Rebel to pace the conference in home runs since Mark Barnthouse in 1977. One of three Rebels to start all 62 games in 2016, Woodman put together 25 multi-hit games and 14 multi-RBI games, both team bests. He showed his speed throughout the season, leading the Rebels with 12 stolen bases and tracking down balls in the outfield gaps. From his center field position, Woodman recorded nine outfield assists throughout the year, which leads the league and ranks third nationally. Seven of his nine outfield assists occurred at the plate to keep runs off the board.
In three seasons as a Rebel, Woodman has played in 178 games, making 171 starts in the outfield. He is a career .299 hitter with 33 doubles, 23 home runs and six triples at Ole Miss. Woodman has averaged 61 hits and 41 runs per year, increasing his production in each category since he arrived on campus.
The 2016 MLB Draft continues tomorrow (June 10) with rounds three through 10 at 11:30 a.m. CT. For the latest news and updates involving Ole Miss Baseball, follow the Rebels on Twitter at @OleMissBSB, on Facebook at Ole Miss Baseball and on Instagram at olemissbsb.
Courtesy of Ole Miss Sports
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