Alabama reliever Garrett Suchey was the 15th pick of the 26th round (780 overall) in the 2017 MLB First-Year Player Draft, going to the Kansas City Royals. Suchey was the first player taken in this year’s draft from the 2016-17 Crimson Tide roster.

The Tide’s go-to pitcher in a tight situation, Suchey played his first season at Alabama in 2017. The right-hander finished his junior campaign as the team leader in innings pitched (73.2) and strikeouts (70) while maintaining a team-low 3.18 ERA (26 ER). Suchey finished 2-7 overall with three saves across his 23 relief outings and one start. He limited the opposition to a lowly .224 average and walked only 26 batters compared to his 70 punchouts.

In SEC play, Suchey collected a pair of saves across 14 appearances, including his lone start, collecting 41 strikeouts and holding conference hitters to a .233 average. He came to Tuscaloosa from Wallace State-Hanceville Community College, where he spent his first two collegiate seasons earning First Team All-ACCC North Division honors as a sophomore before transferring to the Capstone.

The 2017 MLB First-Year Player Draft will conclude today with coverage of rounds 11-40 which started at 11 a.m. CT.

All undergraduate players have remaining eligibility and are able to return to the University to continue their careers at Alabama if they elect to not sign a professional contract.

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