MLB Draft: San Francisco Giants Select Notre Dame’s John Michael Bertrand

Bertrand is the second Irish pitcher taken by the Giants today

The San Francisco Giants went back to the Notre Dame Fighting Irish pitching well for the second time in the MLB Draft, taking left hander John Michael Bertrand. Bertrand was the final selection of the tenth round, selected 316th overall.

Bertrand pitched two years for Notre Dame after transferring from Furman. He was a graduate student this year and the ace of Notre Dame’s staff. He started 18 games in his final season and pitched to a 10-3 record and 2.81 ERA. He totaled 111 strikeouts in 109 innings pitched.

As a graduate student, Bertrand is one of the oldest players in the draft. He doesn’t have any trait that will ‘wow’ scouts, but he is an extremely consistent performer and had one of the best statistical seasons in the country. The biggest question is how much development he has still has to make.

As a 10th round pick teams have said they don’t see much more, but if he can perform above his stuff, as he has in the past, he can develop as a back of the rotation pitcher for a major league team. For Bertrand, the 316th pick carries a slot bonus of $149,400, and as the final pick in the 10th round he receives the distinction as the last player in the draft that will factor into their teams bonus pool money. He is also the final pick of day two of the draft, the draft concludes with rounds 11-20 tomorrow.