Courtesy of GoBonnies.com
ST. BONAVENTURE, N.Y. – St. Bonaventure University baseball products Aaron Phillips and Cole Peterson each recently signed their first professional contracts and are getting their careers underway this summer in the minor leagues.
Phillips, the 2017 Atlantic 10 Pitcher of the Year who became the Bonnies’ highest draft pick when he was selected in the ninth round of the Major League Baseball Draft last month, signed with the San Francisco Giants organization. His first assignment is with the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes, the short-season ‘A’ affiliate of the Giants in Salem, Ore.
After going 13-6 with a 3.17 ERA in 201 innings of work as a Bonnie over the past three seasons, Phillips is currently playing in the Northwest League and made his pro debut on July 2. He tossed one scoreless inning of relief, allowing just one hit while striking out two and throwing 10 of his 14 pitches for strikes. The Northwest League season runs from June through the first week of September and also includes the Hillsboro Hops, the current home of Phillips’ former St. Bonaventure teammate Connor Grey who was drafted last year by the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Peterson signed with the Detroit Tigers after being picked in the 13th round of the MLB Draft and has kicked off his pro career with the organization’s New York-Penn League (NYPL) short-season ‘A’ affiliate Connecticut Tigers. The two-time all-Atlantic 10 selection made his pro debut on June 28 and hit .267 through his first eight games including a 3-for-5 effort with three RBIs at Brooklyn on July 3. Like the Northwest League, the NYPL slate runs June through September.
During his Bonaventure career, Peterson hit .301 with a .382 on-base percentage with 62 stolen bases, 57 RBIs and 33 doubles while starting all 144 games at shortstop the past three seasons.
Fellow Bonnie, Steven Klimek (Greece Arcadia) is 3-1 on the season with the Delmarva Shorebirds of the Class A South Atlantic League. Klimek, a 33rd round pick of the Baltimore Orioles in the 2015 MLB Draft, has 44 strike outs while issuing just three walks in 40.1 innings of work. The right-hander is limiting opposing batters to a .212 average with a WHIP of 0.87.
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