Morning Coffee: How did Kentucky schools perform in this year's MLB draft?

Courier Journal

The 2019 MLB draft marked another productive year for local colleges.

Kentucky left-handed pitcher Zack Thompson and Louisville first baseman Logan Wyatt were both picked on day one. Five Kentucky college players were picked on day two. Seven more were selected on Wednesday.

The draft was not as kind to Kentucky high school players. For the first time since 1985, no Bluegrass State high schooler was picked.

MLB draft:St. Louis Cardinals fans, meet first-round pick, Zack Thompson

Here's a breakdown of local 2019 draft picks by college.

Louisville (8)

1B Logan Wyatt – Giants – 2nd (51)

P Michael McAvene – Cubs – 3rd (103)

SS Tyler Fitzgerald – Giants – 4th (116)

P Nick Bennett – Brewers – 6th (193)

P Bryan Hoeing – Marlins – 7th (201)

CF Jake Snider – Pirates – 20th (604)

P Drew Campbell – Braves – 23rd (697)

P Shay Smiddy – Rays – 36th (1,088)

Kentucky (3)

P Zack Thompson – Cardinals – 1st (19)

P Carson Coleman – Rays – 33rd (998)

OF Ryan Shinn – Mets – 34th (1,018)

Morehead State (2)

LHP Dalton Stambaugh – Orioles – 30th (888)

RHP Alex Garbrick – Yankees – 40th (1,215)

Western Kentucky (1)

CF Jacob Sanford – Yankees – 3rd (105)

Eastern Kentucky (1)

P Aaron Ochsenbein – Dodgers – 6th (191)

Eight Louisville players were drafted for the fourth consecutive year. At least seven Cardinals have been drafted in six of the eight years since the draft was cut to 40 rounds in 2012.

The good news for Kentucky is the Wildcats will not have to replace a school-record 13 draft picks like they did a year ago. The bad news is UK's three draft picks marked the fewest for the program since the 2005 draft when no Kentucky player was selected. That's a pretty good illustration of why Nick Mingione's team struggled to a 26-29 record this spring. Mingione will almost certainly have to replace Thompson in the weekend rotation without his top-ranked recruit too as UK commit Jackson Rutledge, the top junior-college player in the country, was drafted in the first round.

If you're looking for a sleeper in the 2019 draft class, you could do worse than WKU's Sanford. The Yankees' third-round pick became the first player to even win the triple crown in the Sun Belt League this season, batting .402 with 22 home runs and 65 RBIs.

While no local high school players were picked, the son of former St. Xavier star Paul Byrd, Grayson Byrd, was drafted by the Chicago Cubs in the 24th round. Grayson Byrd is an infielder at Clemson and lists Milton, Georgia, as his hometown.

Social Hour

Some of the best MLB draft commentary from social media:

Three years ago, former Louisville catcher Will Smith heard his name called in the draft. Now he's doing this:

The Louisville Bats had some fun with PTI's choice of photo when discussing McAvene's controversial ejection:

Still time to get ready for the Women's World Cup, and this is a great resource to get to know the U.S. team.

What we're reading

The NCAA will move back the 3-point line to international distance for the 2019-20 men's college basketball season.

Trinity appears to have enough talent to bring home its first baseball state championship.

Who's your pick for the Belmont Stakes? Gentry Estes is going with Tacitus.

Former interim Louisville football coach Lorenzo Ward has found a new job.

More transparency could be on the way for SEC officiating in the fall.

Kentucky and Louisville fans will see their teams line up against a few of the 10 best quarterbacks in college football this season, according to this USA TODAY list.

Jon Hale:jahale@courier-journal.com; Twitter:@JonHale_CJ. Support strong local journalism by subscribing today:courier-journal.com/jonh.