Former Mat-Su Miners pitcher selected in 2nd round of MLB draft

PALMER — For the second time in three years, a Texas A&M pitcher with ties to the Mat-Su Miners was selected in the second round of the MLB First-Year Player Draft.

Touted right-hander John Doxakis, who helped Mat-Su win the 2017 Alaska Baseball League title, was taken by the Tampa Bay Rays with the 61st pick in the MLB draft. Former Mat-Su Miner and Texas A&M Aggie standout Corbin Martn was selected by the Houston Astros in the second round of the 2017 draft by the Houston Astros. Martin made his MLB debut on May 12.

Doxakis earned All-ABL honors with the Miners after finishing among the league’s best with a 3-1 record, 1.08 earned run average and 30 strikeouts in 25 innings. He is also one of three members of Mat-Su’s 2017 squad to be selected in the top 10 rounds of the 2019 draft.

Quin Cotton, a Grand Canyon University standout and the 2017 ABL Player of the Year, was taken in the eighth round by Cincinnati. Cotton hit .331.

Oral Roberts standout Spencer Henson was selected by the New York Yankees in the ninth round. Henson spent two summers in Palmer, and helped the Miners win back-to-back ABL titles.

Thirteen former Miners and one current member were selected during the three-day draft.

Catcher Kody Huff, who recently completed his senior season at Horizon High School in Arizona, was taken in the 32nd round by Tampa Bay. Huff has committed to play college baseball at Stanford.

Henson is among six players drafted who helped the Miners win their third straight ABL title in 2018. The list also includes Grand Canyon outfielder Kona Quiggle (16th round, Detroit), New Mexico pitcher Malachi Emond (18th round, Baltimore), Gonzaga catcher Austin Pinorini (22nd round, Cleveland), Southeast Louisiana pitcher Bryce Tassin (31st round, Detroit) and UC Davis infielder Caleb Van Blake (37th, Cincinnati).

There were also five players from the 2017 squad taken. Arizona pitcher Andrew Nardi (16th round, Miami) and Grand Canyon outfielder Preston Pavlica (24th round, Houston) joined Doxakis, Henson and Cotton on the list.

Grand Canyon infielder Tyler Wyatt (31st round, San Francisco), Baylor infielder Josh Bissonette (31st round, Pittsburgh) and Maryland infielder AJ Lee (34th, Houston), members of the 2016 team, were also selected.

Contact Frontiersman managing editor Jeremiah Bartz at sports@frontiersman.com.