On the final day of the 2012 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft, the Big West Conference witnessed 12 players selected, bringing the league's total of draftees to 18.
Overall, UC Santa Barbara, led by the 10th-round pick of Brett Vertigan, paced the conference with five selections. The Gauchos were followed by Cal Poly and Long Beach State, who each had three players showcased. UC Davis and UC Irvine tallied two picks apiece and Cal State Fullerton, Cal State Northridge and UC Riverside saw one athlete selected.
Cal Poly's Mitch Haniger was the Big West's lone selection on day one, going in the Compensation A Round as the as 38th overall pick by the Milwaukee Brewers.
Day two saw five players picked up by the major leagues, with 2012 Big West Defensive Player of the Year D.J. Crumlich being the first athlete who was tabbed by the Pittsburgh Pirates' as their ninth-round choice (286th overall). He was closely followed by Cal Poly's Mike Miller, who also went in the ninth round to the Boston Red Sox as the 301st overall pick. UC Santa Barbara's Brett Vertigan went to the Oakland Athletics in the 10th round and was followed by the Minnesota Twins grabbing Cal State Northridge's Alex Muren in round 12. Cal State Fullerton starting pitcher and 2012 Big West Pitcher of the Year Dylan Floro closed out day two for the league after Tampa Bay Rays tagged him in the 13th round.
Day three was the busiest for the Big West Conference as 12 players' dreams of the playing in the Big Leagues moved one step closer. Cal Poly's Nick Grim kicked off the final day, going in the 17th round to the Baltimore Orioles and bringing the Mustangs' draft total to three. Next up representing Long Beach State, Matt Duffy was nabbed in the 18th round by the San Francisco Giants. He was the first of three Dirtbags picked up on the third day, with Brennan Metzger also going to the San Francisco Giants (22nd round) and Shawn Stuart heading to the Colorado Rockies (31st).
Big West Players Selected In 2012 MLB Draft
Mitch Haniger, Cal Poly - Comp. A (38th) Milwaukee Brewers
D.J. Crumlich, UC Irvine - 9th (286th) Pittsburgh Pirates
Mike Miller, Cal Poly - 9th (301st) Boston Red Sox
Brett Vertigan, UC Santa Barbara - 10th (319th) Oakland Athletics
Alex Muren, Cal State Northridge - 12th (370th) Minnesota Twins
Dylan Floro, Cal State Fullerton - 13th (422nd) Tampa Bay Rays
Nick Grim, Cal Poly - 17th (522nd) Baltimore Orioles
Matt Duffy, Long Beach State - 18th (568th) San Francisco Giants
Eddie Orozco, UC Riverside - 22nd (674th) Chicago Cubs
Brennan Metzger, Long Beach State - 22nd (688th) San Francisco Giants
Matt Vedo, UC Santa Barbara - 24th (731st) Seattle Mariners
Lance Roenicke, UC Santa Barbara - 25th (785th) Milwaukee Brewers
Dayne Quist, UC Davis - 28th (872nd) Tampa Bay Rays
Shawn Stuart, Long Beach State - 31st (948th) Colorado Rockies
Zak Edgington, UC Santa Barbara - 34th (1048th) San Francisco Giants
Mark Trentacosta, UC Irvine - 34th (1050th) St. Louis Cardinals
Jared Wilson, UC Santa Barbara - 35th (1060th) Minnesota Twins
Scott Kalush, UC Davis - 39th (1182nd) Baltimore Orioles