Stephens hopes for call in MLB draft

photo Zach Stephens is a candidate to be taken in MLB draft.

MLB draft order1. Houston Astros2. Miami Marlins3. Chicago White Sox4. Chicago Cubs5. Minnesota Twins6. Seattle Mariners7. Philadelphia Phillies8. Colorado Rockies9. Toronto Blue Jays10. New York Mets11. Toronto Blue Jays12. Milwaukee Brewers13. San Diego Padres14. San Francisco Giants15. Los Angeles Angels16. Arizona Diamondbacks17. Kansas City Royals18. Washington Nationals19. Cincinnati Reds20. Tampa Bay Rays21. Cleveland Indians22. Los Angeles Dodgers23. Detroit Tigers24. Pittsburgh Pirates25. Oakland Athletics26. Boston Red Sox27. St. Louis Cardinals28. Kansas City Royals29. Cincinnati Reds30. Texas Rangers31. Cleveland Indians32. Atlanta Braves33. Boston Red Sox34. St. Louis CardinalsMLB Draft scheduleToday7 p.m. -- Round 1, compensation round A, Round 2, compensation round B.Friday1 p.m. -- Rounds 3-10Saturday1 p.m. -- Rounds 11-40

There wasn't time Wednesday afternoon for Zach Stephens to slip away to a batting cage or even a weight room.

The former four-time Best of Preps baseball team member was putting the finishing touches to an online summer semester homework assignment.

There was no research, not even a peek at the latest rankings for collegiate senior first baseman, on Major League Baseball's three-day player draft.

The draft starts at 6 this evening and concludes Saturday afternoon.

It is Saturday that the draft will likely draw the most attention from Stephens, who just put the finishing touches on a four-year starting career at Tennessee Tech, and other no-other-option college seniors.

"I'm going to try to treat [the next three days] like just another day. If it happens, it happens," Stephens said. "If it doesn't, life goes on. I'll go finish school and then look for a job."

It sounds easy but the major league draft and a shot at the big leagues is really what Stephens has played for since he was a 4-year-old.

"That's the goal," the Ohio Valley Conference record-holder said. "Everybody wants to play pro ball, and I definitely do, but you're basically sitting there hoping that phone call comes and somebody telling you that you've been drafted."

The 6-foot, 220-pounder knows the disappointment of the phone not ringing, having suffered through it following his junior year.

"It can be disappointing. This time last year I knew I had another year to prove myself, but I think personally it would have been good to get drafted as a junior," he said.

Stephens leaves Tennessee Tech and the OVC as the career leader in home runs, RBIs and total bases. He was two shy of the league's career standard for doubles.

"It went fast. It seems like just the other day I was a freshman," he said.

That should be proof enough for major league teams, Soddy-Daisy coach Jared Hensley observed.

"He was good his junior year -- 13 home runs and a good year offensively," Hensley said. "In the summer between his [high school] junior and senior years [Trojans assistant Jamie Tricoglou] and I talked with him about playing Division I. He could do it but he needed to work body-wise. He changed his eating and workout habits and hit extremely well the next season including 17 home runs."

Yet it is more than the power Stephens exhibited.

"He's extremely gifted when he swings the bat, but he was unheralded as a defensive first baseman and his work ethic and his ability to lead the team were remarkable," Hensley said.

Teams and scouts that showed the most interest included Boston, Colorado, San Diego, San Francisco, Baltimore, Milwaukee, Minnesota and the New York Yankees.

"I've always been a Braves fan and I'm still a Braves fan, but I never heard anything from them. No, I don't have any preferences. I just want somebody to give me a chance," he said.

Contact Ward Gossett at wgossett@timesfreepress.com or 423-886-4765. Follow him at Twitter.com/wardgossett.

Upcoming Events