University of Tennessee Athletics
Charley Thurber Drafted by New York Mets
June 08, 2011 | Baseball
June 8, 2011
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - Tennessee junior outfielder Charley Thurber became the fifth Volunteer to be selected in the 2011 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft, going in the 39th round to his home state New York Mets.
With Thurber's selection on Wednesday, as well as those of juniors Steven Gruver and Matt Ramsey and seniors Matt Duffy and Khayyan Norfork on Tuesday, UT has now had 118 players drafted a total of 130 times since the free-agent draft began in 1965.
The Vols have had at least one player selected in each of the last 28 drafts, with 111 selections during that span for an average of 3.96 per year. This year marks the seventh in the last nine that UT has had at least four players drafted.
A power-hitting lefty, Thurber hit .230 with a pair of home runs, 12 RBIs and five stolen bases in 36 games last season. UT's starting right-fielder for most of the year, Thurber finished second on the squad with seven outfield assists despite playing through a wrist injury on his throwing arm that forced him to miss 14 consecutive contests at one point of the season. During his first three years at Rocky Top, Thurber launched 13 longballs and hit at a .259 clip with 60 RBIs.
Gruver was the first Tennessee player to be drafted, going in the seventh round to the Minnesota Twins. Ramsey was then drafted for the second time in his life as the Tampa Bay Rays made him their 19th round selection. Just 10 picks later, Duffy was picked up by the Houston Astros in the 20th round. The final Vol to be drafted on day two was Norfork as the Washington Nationals took him in the 23rd round.
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| Vols in 2011 MLB Draft | |||
| Name | Round | Pick | MLB Team |
| Steven Gruver | 7th | 238 | Minnesota Twins |
| Matt Ramsey | 19th | 600 | Tampa Bay Rays |
| Matt Duffy | 20th | 610 | Houston Astros |
| Khayyan Norfork | 23rd | 697 | Washington Nationals |
| Charley Thurber | 39th | 1182 | New York Mets |
| Vol Signees in 2011 MLB Draft | |||
| Name | Round | Pick | MLB Team |
| Mookie Betts | 5th | 172 | Boston Red Sox |
| Logan Moore | 9th | 301 | Philadelphia Phillies |
| Sal Romano | 23rd | 715 | Cincinnati Reds |
| Brandon Zajac | 28th | 842 | Pittsburgh Pirates |
