Miami Hurricanes baseball team to lose five to pros

The Major League Baseball signing deadline is 5 p.m. Friday and, unlike last year, there will be no major surprises for the University of Miami.

All five Hurricanes who were drafted last month in MLB’s First-Year Player Draft are heading to the pros.

Left-handed ace Andy Suarez, who returned to the Hurricanes this past season after being drafted in the second round by the Washington Nationals, was recently drafted by the San Francisco Giants, again in the second round, for a slotted value of just over $1 million.

Also leaving UM are third baseman David Thompson (fourth round, New York Mets), second baseman George Iskenderian (seventh round, Milwaukee Brewers), catcher Garrett Kennedy (14th round, Los Angeles Dodgers) and outfielder Ricky Eusebio (16th round, Seattle Mariners).

Of the 10 or so Canes expected to join the team for fall camp, one — 6-5, 195-pound power hitter Kep Brown of Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina — was projected to be drafted as high as the first round before he tore his Achilles’ tendon this past season. The right-handed slugger went in the 10th round to the St. Louis Cardinals but is now headed to Coral Gables.

Two other incoming Hurricanes who were drafted were Coral Gables High right-handed pitcher Andrew Cabezas (34th round, Cleveland Indians) and shortstop Kevin Santiago (39th round, Cincinnati Reds) of Patillas, Puerto Rico.

This story was originally published July 16, 2015 at 9:46 PM with the headline "Miami Hurricanes baseball team to lose five to pros."