Central Michigan University Athletics
Photo by: Benjamin Suddendorf
Brewers Draftee Zavier Warren: 'Just Happy That Someone Gave Me A Shot'
6/11/2020 9:28:00 PM | Baseball
Chippewa taken in third round with the 92nd pick
MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. – Zavier Warren is headed to the professional baseball ranks.
Warren, a Central Michigan junior, was selected by the Milwaukee Brewers in the third round of the Major League Baseball Draft on Thursday night. He was the 92nd player taken in the five-round draft.
"It's relieving," said Warren, who watched the draft with a small group of family and friends at his mother's home in suburban Detroit's Southfield. "It was kind of stressful watching the picks go by as the draft kept going. Definitely relieved, and definitely excited, and just happy that someone gave me a shot."
Warren said he received a call from his agent informing him that the Brewers were poised to take him.
"I guess it was between me and another (player) and I said, 'Yeah let's do it,'" he said. "He called them back. It happened so fast. Like I just got off the phone and then I saw it on the TV."
The next step for Warren is a physical exam. After that, who knows.
"Right now it's up in the air because of coronavirus," he said. "There's not a direct plan of where they're going to send us, but at some point they'll do something with the minor league players that they sign. We'll have to wait and see. Right now their main concern is getting the big leaguers on the field."
Warren is the sixth Chippewa taken in the first three rounds of the draft and is CMU's highest draft pick since 1977, when pitcher Doug Harrison (Los Angeles Dodgers) and infielder Dave Pagel (Chicago Cubs) each went in the third round. The other three Chippewas to have been selected in the first three rounds are Chris Knapp, first, 1975; Kevin Tapani, second, 1986; and Bob Grandas, third, 1976.
Warren, who played both catcher and shortstop during his three seasons at CMU, was announced as a catcher on draft night, which came as a bit of a surprise to most observers – but not to Warren.
The 6-foot, 205-pounder was listed as a shortstop and had played third base in the Cape Cod Baseball League in the summer of 2019, when he finished eighth in the league batting race.
The Brewers were among the many teams who had talked with Warren ahead of the draft. The subject of catching came up and Warren has maintained that he just wants to be in the lineup no matter where he's positioned defensively.
"They liked me as a catcher," he said. "They were intrigued by that. I'm not sure what they want to do moving forward. Right now it's just open, obviously, because I can play a lot of positions. We'll just see what they want to do."
Warren, a switch hitter who was rated the No. 106 player in the draft by MLB.com, hit .325 in his career at CMU, appearing in 129 games with 127 of them starts. He posted a .447 slugging percentage and a .455 on-base percentage, both of which are outstanding numbers. He had nine home runs, drove in 104 runs, and smacked 28 doubles, a program-record 23 of which came in 2019 when he earned All-America honors after leading the Chippewas to the Mid-American Conference regular-season and tournament titles and an NCAA Tournament berth.
MLB Network draft analyst Jim Callis said on Thursday's broadcast that Warren possesses "the hands and the arm and the athleticism to make it (at catcher).
"I think everybody looked at him that he wasn't going to play shortstop and catcher was an option, at least with some of the scouts that I talked to," Callis said. "Let's go ahead and find out if he can play the most-challenging defensive position that he could play right off the bat and we'll develop him. If it doesn't, he's got a chance to play elsewhere too. There were a lot of scouts who were very high on him after watching him play in the Cape Cod League last summer.
"The thing that jumps out the most about this guy is the bat; it's a really sound bat – a lot of line-drive contact and there's some wicked power in there too. like this pick and I like announcing him as a catcher."
Warren, who is a Birmingham Groves High School graduate, was the second player from a MAC school taken in the draft after Ball State right-hander Kyle Nicolas went in the second round (61st overall) to the Miami Marlins. He was the third player from a Michigan college to go in the draft after Michigan right-hander Jeff Criswell went to the Oakland Athletics in the second round (58th) and Wolverine outfielder Jordan Nwogu was selected by the Chicago Cubs four spots ahead of Warren.
Warren is the highest MAC position player selected since 2016, when Ball State outfielder Alex Call was taken in the third round (86th overall) by the Chicago White Sox.
Warren, a Central Michigan junior, was selected by the Milwaukee Brewers in the third round of the Major League Baseball Draft on Thursday night. He was the 92nd player taken in the five-round draft.
"It's relieving," said Warren, who watched the draft with a small group of family and friends at his mother's home in suburban Detroit's Southfield. "It was kind of stressful watching the picks go by as the draft kept going. Definitely relieved, and definitely excited, and just happy that someone gave me a shot."
Warren said he received a call from his agent informing him that the Brewers were poised to take him.
"I guess it was between me and another (player) and I said, 'Yeah let's do it,'" he said. "He called them back. It happened so fast. Like I just got off the phone and then I saw it on the TV."
The next step for Warren is a physical exam. After that, who knows.
"Right now it's up in the air because of coronavirus," he said. "There's not a direct plan of where they're going to send us, but at some point they'll do something with the minor league players that they sign. We'll have to wait and see. Right now their main concern is getting the big leaguers on the field."
Warren is the sixth Chippewa taken in the first three rounds of the draft and is CMU's highest draft pick since 1977, when pitcher Doug Harrison (Los Angeles Dodgers) and infielder Dave Pagel (Chicago Cubs) each went in the third round. The other three Chippewas to have been selected in the first three rounds are Chris Knapp, first, 1975; Kevin Tapani, second, 1986; and Bob Grandas, third, 1976.
Warren, who played both catcher and shortstop during his three seasons at CMU, was announced as a catcher on draft night, which came as a bit of a surprise to most observers – but not to Warren.
The 6-foot, 205-pounder was listed as a shortstop and had played third base in the Cape Cod Baseball League in the summer of 2019, when he finished eighth in the league batting race.
The Brewers were among the many teams who had talked with Warren ahead of the draft. The subject of catching came up and Warren has maintained that he just wants to be in the lineup no matter where he's positioned defensively.
"They liked me as a catcher," he said. "They were intrigued by that. I'm not sure what they want to do moving forward. Right now it's just open, obviously, because I can play a lot of positions. We'll just see what they want to do."
Warren, a switch hitter who was rated the No. 106 player in the draft by MLB.com, hit .325 in his career at CMU, appearing in 129 games with 127 of them starts. He posted a .447 slugging percentage and a .455 on-base percentage, both of which are outstanding numbers. He had nine home runs, drove in 104 runs, and smacked 28 doubles, a program-record 23 of which came in 2019 when he earned All-America honors after leading the Chippewas to the Mid-American Conference regular-season and tournament titles and an NCAA Tournament berth.
MLB Network draft analyst Jim Callis said on Thursday's broadcast that Warren possesses "the hands and the arm and the athleticism to make it (at catcher).
"I think everybody looked at him that he wasn't going to play shortstop and catcher was an option, at least with some of the scouts that I talked to," Callis said. "Let's go ahead and find out if he can play the most-challenging defensive position that he could play right off the bat and we'll develop him. If it doesn't, he's got a chance to play elsewhere too. There were a lot of scouts who were very high on him after watching him play in the Cape Cod League last summer.
"The thing that jumps out the most about this guy is the bat; it's a really sound bat – a lot of line-drive contact and there's some wicked power in there too. like this pick and I like announcing him as a catcher."
Warren, who is a Birmingham Groves High School graduate, was the second player from a MAC school taken in the draft after Ball State right-hander Kyle Nicolas went in the second round (61st overall) to the Miami Marlins. He was the third player from a Michigan college to go in the draft after Michigan right-hander Jeff Criswell went to the Oakland Athletics in the second round (58th) and Wolverine outfielder Jordan Nwogu was selected by the Chicago Cubs four spots ahead of Warren.
Warren is the highest MAC position player selected since 2016, when Ball State outfielder Alex Call was taken in the third round (86th overall) by the Chicago White Sox.
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