Local pitchers selected by same team in MLB Draft

By Taylor Bern

Friday, June 10, 2016 | 1:55 p.m.

The Tampa Bay Rays selected pitchers from the Las Vegas area in back-to-back rounds of today’s Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft.

In the fifth round, the Rays took College of Southern Nevada right-hander Mikey York with the 150th overall pick, and in the sixth round, they selected Faith Lutheran High right-hander Zack Trageton at 180 overall. Both players can decide whether to sign with the team or honor their commitments to Arizona State and Utah, respectively.

York, a Basic High grad who planned to become a Sun Devil, struck out 61 with a 2.03 ERA over 48 2/3 innings for the Coyotes this season. His father briefly pitched in the majors with the Pittsburgh Pirates and Cleveland Indians.

Trageton signed with Utah before his senior season and didn’t think he’d have a decision to make about his pro options. That changed in March when scouts, who were mostly at the game to see Arbor View High power hitter Nick Quintana, saw Trageton hit 94 mph on the radar gun.

“Every high school player dreams of becoming an MLB player, but after I signed with Utah, my family thought I was all done with the showcases and pitching in front of people for a while,” he said earlier this week.

Whatever Trageton decides to do — sign with the Rays or enroll at Utah — he’ll be in a good position.

Check back for updates as the draft continues.

Taylor Bern can be reached at 948-7844 or [email protected]. Follow Taylor on Twitter at twitter.com/taylorbern.