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The Victoria HarbourCats were rained out Saturday in Kelowna, but the sun shone on Dalton Erb鈥檚 career. The massive six-foot-eight, 250-pound HarbourCats pitcher was selected 894th overall in the 30th round of the 2016 MLB draft by the San Diego Padres.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a dream come true,鈥� said Erb.
鈥淢y HarbourCats roommates were watching with me online and they all went crazy. I am going to be a pro. I am going to wake up each day, train, and play ball. Now, the real work starts.鈥�
Erb said he will sign with the Padres and not return to Chico State for his senior season. It also means his time in Victoria is done, since the WCL is a summer collegiate circuit. His HarbourCats鈥� tenure was brief, but brilliant 鈥� the home opener at Royal Athletic Park with a one-hit victory with 13 strikeouts over eight innings.
Erb flies back to Victoria today to collect his stuff, and then is on to physicals with the Padres.
鈥淗e was a pleasure to have and brought us a magical night to start our fourth season, one that crowd will never forget,鈥� said HarbourCats president Jim Swanson.
Meanwhile, shortstop Alex DeGoti, who played the previous three seasons in Victoria and became perhaps the most popular HarbourCat in team history, was selected 457th in the 15th round by the Houston Astros.
鈥淎lex [had] intangibles you can鈥檛 measure, and a way with people that helped us reach into the community from the beginning,鈥� said Swanson.
鈥淗e chased his dream in Victoria. He flourished here and got noticed.鈥�
Meanwhile, six-foot-three outfielder Tyler Duncan of the Victoria Eagles went 897th in the 30th round to the Seattle Mariners. He leaves with the Canadian junior team for Cuba on June 30.
鈥淲hen it actually happened, it was like: 鈥極h my gosh, this is unreal.鈥� It happened out of high school [Edward Milne], which is crazy,鈥� said the rising 17-year-old. 鈥淚 did really well [at a pre-draft workout at Safeco Field] and was hoping it would pay off. I鈥檝e been getting text messages all day. I leave my phone for a bit and it blows up again.鈥�
Junior national team pitcher and Nanaimo Pirates product Josh Burgmann, a WCL signee of the HarbourCats, was taken by the St. Louis Cardinals 916th in the 30th round.
鈥� With a file from Mario Annicchiarico, sa国际传媒
