BURLINGTON, VT — Three former Vermont Lake Monsters (pitcher Chris Clark ‘21, outfielder Tommy Hawke ‘22 and pitcher Zach Fogel ‘21) were selected in the 2023 Major League Baseball Draft Monday and Tuesday in Seattle:
Clark was taken in the fifth round (147th pick overall) by the Los Angeles Angels. The right-hander out of Harvard University was 4-1 with a 2.78 ERA and 37 strikeouts in 22 ⅔ innings for the Lake Monsters during the regular-season and struckout the final batter to clinch the 2021 Futures League Championship.
Hawke was a sixth-round pick (188th overall) by the Cleveland Guardians. A member of the 2023 College World Series participant Wake Forest University, Hawke hit .306 (34-for-111) with 25 runs, two homers and 17 RBI in 30 games for the Lake Monsters last season.
Fogell was selected by the Boston Red Sox in the 18th round (538th overall) after going 8-0 with one save and 1.89 ERA in 36 relief appearances for the University of Connecticut this spring. The left-hander pitched in just two games (one unearned run in 1 ⅔ innings) for Vermont last season due to injury,
With three draftees this season, the Lake Monsters have now had four players taken in MLB drafts over the last three years. U-32 graduate Owen Kellington ‘21 was taken in the fourth round (102nd overall) of the 2021 draft by the Pittsburgh Pirates and is currently 0-2 with a 4.76 ERA (31 walks, 52 strikeouts, 45 ⅓ innings) for Bradenton Marauders in Florida State League.