Jurich Tabbed by Atlanta Braves in 13th Round
June 03, 2003 | Baseball
June 3, 2003
LOUISVILLE, KY - University of Louisville junior outfielder Mark Jurich was selected in the 13th round by the Atlanta Braves in the Major League Baseball Amateur Draft on Tuesday.
Jurich, a Ballard High School graduate, was the 397th overall selection and the final pick of the 13th round.
"It is a real credit to the hard work Mark has put in, that he has progressed from a solid high school baseball player to an All-American, member of the USA Baseball National Team and now a 13th round draft pick," noted head baseball coach Lelo Prado.
"We would sure hate to lose someone with Mark's ability, but in the same light we are very excited about his potential future in professional baseball," added Prado.
Jurich will have the opportunity to sign a contract with the Braves or return to the Cardinals for his senior season.
Despite suffering a broken bone in his hand in the first game of the 2003 season and missing 26 games, Jurich still managed to hit .285 with 11 doubles, three triples, five home runs and drove in 33 runs in just 31 starts.
The everyday right fielder in 2002 he was named third-team All-American and first-team All-C-USA, after hitting .365 with 16 home runs, 15 doubles, five triples, 60 RBI and a .724 slugging percentage.
Following the season he was named to the USA Baseball National Team which earned gold and silver medals in tournaments in The Netherlands and Italy over the summer.
As a freshman, Jurich was named to the Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American Team after slugging 13 doubles, seven home runs and driving in 25 runs while hitting .274.
The first day of the MLB Draft consists of the first 20 rounds, and Wednesday's proceedings will consist of the 21st-50th rounds. All high school seniors, junior college players, college juniors and seniors, and those over 21 years of age are eligible to be picked.
Last season, Cardinal junior shortstop Adam Haley was tabbed by the Arizona Diamondbacks also in the 13th round and went on to sign a pro contract.
Jurich's Career Stats:Year AVG GP-GS AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB-ATT
2001.... .274 52-41 146 21 40 13 1 7 25 23 33 2-42002.... .365 53-52 203 47 74 15 5 16 60 29 29 5-52003.... .285 32-31 130 25 37 11 3 5 33 14 24 0-1TOTALS.. .315 137-124 479 93 151 39 9 28 118 66 86 7-10
