Jan. 13, 2014
D.J. Slaton pitched for San José State from 2011-13 before he became the most recent Spartan selected in the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft. The Tampa Bay Rays drafted Slaton on June 9, 2013 in the 37th round (1,118th overall) of the MLB Draft.
The Hollister, Calif., native played his first season of pro ball with the Princeton Rays of the Rookie Appalachian League. In 12 starts the right-hander was 4-3 with a 2.66 ERA and 42 strikeouts.
The Palma High School graduate earned his first professional win on July 31 against the Johnson City Cardinals. He struck out four batters in five innings on the way to a victory.
Slaton, who had a single-game career high of six strikeouts as a Spartan, fanned eight batters in his final start of the season with the Rays on August 29.
In the video below, Slaton answers a few questions about his experience of being drafted and playing professional baseball.