(KSEE) – The 2002 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft began on June 4th. With the 30th overall pick, the last pick in the first round, the Oakland A’s selected Fresno State’s Ben Fritz.
Fritz was the WAC Pitcher of the Year in 2002.
He was also a second team all-American by both Baseball America and by Collegiate Baseball Newspaper after going 9-5 with a 3.24 ERA and 98 strikeouts.
In addition to being a pitcher, Ben Fritz made starts at catcher, first base and at designated hitter for the Bulldogs. He hit ten home runs and had 54 RBI in 2002, both of which led Fresno State. And those numbers led Fritz to being named first team all-WAC as a utility player.
The A’s drafted him to be a pitcher. And though he never made it to the majors as a player, he did make it as a coach; Ben Fritz is the current bullpen coach of the San Diego Padres.