Rutgers Baseball: Drew Conover becomes second Scarlet Knight drafted by Oakland A’s

Drew Conover heard his name called for the second time in the MLB Draft.

On Tuesday, Conover was selected with the 316th overall pick in the 11th round of the 2023 MLB Draft by the Oakland Athletics. Conover will join teammate Ryan Lasko, who was taken 41st overall by Oakland on Sunday night.

Conover was drafted in 2022 as well. The Detroit Tigers selected the right-hander in the 20th round last year but he decided to honor his transfer commitment to Rutgers.

According to MLB.com, Conover entered the draft as the 220th overall prospect:

“Conover is all about power and movement. He can throw his fastball up to 97 mph (though it sits more in the low 90s when he’s throwing it as a starter), with a ton of running life coming from a lower arm slot. He can miss a lot of bats with a big sweeping slider with high spin rates that he throws in the 85-88 mph range, and he also has a hard mid-80s cutter that can be effective at times.

If Conover could find the strike zone more consistently, he would be more effective in whatever role he might fill in the future. His 6.0 BB/9 rate in 2023 actually represented a low mark in his college career, but he also struck out 11 per nine. His ability to miss bats will intrigue teams at some point on Day 2, with a long-term gig as a reliever the most likely outcome.”

Conover appeared in 23 games for Seton Hall before making the transition. He is a New Jersey native, playing his high school ball in state and staying for college.

Conover began his career at Seton Hall before making the jump to Piscataway. In 2023, Conover became a staple in the rotation, posting a 5-4 record with a 4.50 ERA. He was named Third-Team All-Big Ten after tossing 68 innings with 83 strikeouts and 45 walks. Opposing batters hit just .197 against him.