Hunt, Miley among La. draftees

• Advocate staff report
• Published: Jun 6, 2008 - UPDATED: 6:48 a.m.

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Tulane junior pitcher Shooter Hunt and Southeastern Louisiana junior pitcher Wade Miley were both chosen with high picks, between the first and second rounds of Major League Baseball’s draft Thursday.

Hunt went with the 31st pick to the Minnesota Twins, while Miley went 43rd to the Arizona Diamondbacks. Both picks came as compensatory selections between the first and second rounds.

University of New Orleans junior second baseman Johnny Giavotella went with the 49th pick, in the second round, to the Kansas City Royals.

Meanwhile, two LSU signees from junior colleges were drafted.

Ryan Chaffee, a 6-2 right-handed pitcher from Chipola Junior College, was taken with the 105th pick, by the Los Angeles Angels.

And JonMichael Redding, a 6-1 right-hander from Florida Community College, was chosen by the Los Angeles Dodgers with the 157th pick, in the fifth round.

Six rounds of the draft were completed Thursday. The other 44 will be finished today, with the selections beginning at 10:30 a.m.

Hunt, a former Virginia transfer, went 9-4 with a 2.68 ERA. The 6-foot-3 right-hander struck out 126 and walked 56 in 100.2 innings.

Hunt was projected to be taken higher. Baseball America pegged him at No. 11 on its board of top 200 players.

“Getting picked is all that matters,” Hunt said. “It’s a great organization. It’s a great fit for me. And I want to do my best for the Twins.

Miley, who was the Class 2A Player of the Year as a senior at Loranger High in 2005, was 7-3 with a 3.90 ERA. The 6-2 left-hander struck out 119 and walked 41 in 101.2 innings.

“Getting drafted by a big-league team is a dream come true,” Miley said. “I want to thank my family, my coaches and all my teammates for helping me get to this point. This is a tremendous opportunity for me, and I will take the time to consult with my family and make the best decision regarding my future.”