Four Tigers Sign Professional Baseball Contracts
6/14/2000 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
June 14, 2000
Four baseball players at the University of Missouri will bypass their remaining collegiate eligibility after signing professional contracts.
Junior outfielders Nick Wilfong (Wappapello, Mo.) and J.R. Warner (St. Louis) and sophomore third baseman Landon Brandes (Knob Noster) were each selected in the Major League Baseball Draft last week, while junior pitcher Ralph McCasland (Jefferson City) signed a free-agent contract on Monday.
Wilfong was the highest draftee, going in the eighth round to the San Francisco Giants. He'll begin his professional career with the Giants' rookie team in Arizona. A centerfielder at Mizzou, Wilfong hit .283 during the 2000 season, with nine home runs, 15 doubles, three triples and 38 runs batted in. During the Big 12 Conference season he hit .336.
Brandes, an honorable mention all-Big 12 selection and a member of the Big 12 all-tournament team, led the 2000 Tigers in batting average (.372) and home runs (11). He was drafted in the 20th round by the St. Louis Cardinals and will begin his professional career with the New Jersey Cardinals of the New York-Penn League.
Warner was Mizzou's co-captain last season when he hit .286 and hit five home runs. He was chosen in the 26th round by the Anaheim Angels and will report to the Northwest League's Boise Hawks.
McCasland, the Tigers' top winner last season when he compiled a 7-4 record, signed a free-agent contract with the Montreal Expos. The lefthander will join the Vermont Expos, who play in the New York-Penn League.
