The 2017 MLB Draft is underway and the University of North Carolina saw their first player go when right-handed pitcher J.B. Bukauskas was taken 15th overall overall by the Houston Astros. As ACC Pitcher of the Year, Bukauskas was the team’s ace and expected to go high in the first round but fatigue at the end of the season may have caused his value to drop.
The 20-year-old junior from Ashburn, Virginia held a 2.53 ERA over 92.2 innings this season. He averaged an impressive 11.27 strikeouts per nine innings, which helped set off a 3.