Altobelli led the Red Raiders with 71 base hits this season

June 6, 2012

TEXAS TECH MLB DRAFT CENTRAL

Photo Gallery - 2012 | Altobelli Highlight Video | Career Game-by-Game Stats

LUBBOCK, Texas - The fifth Texas Tech baseball player has been selected in the 2012 Major League Baseball First-Year Players Draft as junior catcher Bo Altobelli (Plano, Texas) was drafted in the 21st round (640 overall) by the Minnesota Twins in the third and final day of the draft on Wednesday.

It marks the third time in school history (1998, 1995) that five Red Raiders have been drafted in the top-21 rounds of the draft. Altobelli joins junior center fielder Barrett Barnes (Supp. 1st Round - Pittsburgh), junior second baseman Jamodrick McGruder (9th Round - Seattle), junior right-handed pitcher Shane Broyles (14th Round - Colorado) and redshirt sophomore right-handed pitcher Duke von Schamann (15th Round - Los Angeles Dodgers).

Altobelli batted .346 (71-for-205) and led the Red Raiders with 71 base hits on the season. He also tallied 12 doubles, three home runs and 33 RBI while throwing out 29 percent (9-of-31) of would-be base stealers.

For the second consecutive year, Altobelli was named to the Johnny Bench Award Watch List, an award given annually to the top collegiate catcher in the country. Altobelli was an All-Big 12 honorable mention pick and was named to a pair of All-Tournament teams during the season (Red Raider Classic & Brooks Wallace Memorial Classic).

Altobelli is only the fourth Texas Tech catcher to have been selected in the MLB Draft over the past decade and is the eighth highest drafted catcher in Texas Tech history.

THREE TEXAS TECH SIGNEES DRAFTED:
So far three Texas Tech signees have been taken in the MLB Draft with Jefferson College left-handed pitcher Dalton Friend selected in the 12th round (367 overall) by the Pittsburgh Pirates, catcher Charles Moorman, a prep standout from San Diego (El Capitan HS), going in the 17th round to the Texas Rangers and Howard College left-handed pitcher Logan Ehlers who was taken in the 20th round by the Detroit Tigers.

TEXAS TECH MLB DRAFT NOTES:
- Marks the third time in school history that five Red Raiders have been selected during the top-21 rounds of the MLB Draft (1998, 1995).
- Altobelli is Texas Tech's 128th all-time MLB Draft pick/free agent selection in program history.
- Altobelli is the eighth highest catcher drafted in Texas Tech history and the highest since 2007 (Matt Smith - 14th Round, Oakland Athletics).
- Altobelli is the 15th Texas Tech catcher to be drafted/sign free agent with an MLB organization.
- Altobelli is the first player in Texas Tech history to be drafted by the Minnesota Twins... With his selection, 29-of-30 MLB organizations have drafted Red Raider players with the Arizona Diamondbacks the only organization that hasn't.
- Altobelli is the just the second catcher taken in the draft by the Twins this year.
- Altobelli becomes the 24th MLB Draft pick under Dan Spencer at Texas Tech.
- Marks the 13th top-21 round MLB Draft pick under Spencer at Texas Tech.
- Marks the second catcher selected in the MLB Draft under Spencer at Texas Tech.