WEST CHESTER, Pa. – West Chester University second baseman Joe Wendle was taken by the Cleveland Indians in the sixth round with the 203rd overall pick of the 2012 MLB Entry Draft Tuesday.
“I’m excited for this opportunity,” Wendle said when reached by phone shortly after watching his name scroll across the draft tracker. “It was a little earlier than I had expected. But, I’m just excited to have the chance to play at the next level.”
Wendle is the highest drafted West Chester baseball player since John Mabry was taken in the sixth round by the St. Louis Cardinals with the 155th overall pick in the 1991 draft. Wendle, who received his bachelor’s degree in Pre-Physical Therapy on May 12, capped a very busy week with his selection in the MLB draft. Wendle helped the Golden Rams capture the school’s first national championship on Saturday night with a 9-0 victory over Delta State (Miss).
“Surreal is really the only word I can think of to describe it,” Wendle commented. “I was fishing at the time. I guess you could say I was a little nervous just because I didn’t know where or when I was going to go.”
Wendle is the third West Chester player to be drafted in the last six years. Left-handed pitcher Frank Gailey was a 23rd-round pick by the Toronto Blue Jays in 2007, and Wendle’s former teammate Bob Stumpo, was taken in the 33rd round by the Philadelphia Phillies.
WCU head coach Jad Prachniak was not surprised to see the PSAC player of the year taken so early.
“As it got closer to draft day, it became clear that the possibility of being a Top 10 pick was definitely real,” Prachniak said.
“Joe has literally spent his whole career putting the team ahead of himself in everything that he does. At no point did he ever worry about his draft status this year. He has the ability to help you win a game in every facet. He hits, plays defense and runs the bases very well, and nobody plays harder than him.”
Wendle is not sure what the next step will be for him as he embarks on his professional baseball career. However, the local product is excited to test his skill against some of the best in the pros.
“I expect to sign (my contract) at some point tomorrow, but I don’t really know where they will send me.”
Wendle is the 28th WCU player selected in the major league baseball draft since its inception in 1967. Since the draft was implemented, three former Golden Rams have reached the major leagues. Lance Clemons was picked in the seventh round of the 1967 draft while Pat Kelly was a ninth-round pick by the New York Yankees in 1988, and Mabry was a sixth-rounder by the Cardinals in 1991. Wendle is the 10th WCU player to be taken before the 10
th round of the draft.
