Garzillo drafted by Miami Marlins in 25th round of MLB Draft
6/11/2016 3:51:00 PM | Baseball
MLB Draft Tracker | Miami Marlins
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – The Miami Marlins selected Lehigh baseball senior Mike Garzillo in the 25th round (No. 743 overall) of the 2016 MLB Draft Saturday afternoon. While at Lehigh, Garzillo was a three-time first team All-Patriot League pick, 2015 All-American and the 2016 Patriot League Player of the Year.
"I've wanted to play professional baseball my entire life so this is such a dream come true," said Garzillo. "It's really exciting when a team believes enough in you to pick you and I couldn't be more thankful to the Miami Marlins for giving me this great opportunity."
"Mike is as deserving of this opportunity as any young man that I've coached in my years at Lehigh," said head coach Sean Leary. "He's had a positive impact on everyone he's come in contact with and I couldn't be happier for him today."
The 2016 Patriot League Player of the Year, Garzillo put together one of the most decorated careers in Lehigh baseball history. Garzillo was drafted in the 38th round (No. 1143 overall) of the 2015 MLB Draft by the New York Yankees, but chose to return to Lehigh for his senior season. The second baseman earned first team All-Patriot League laurels as a sophomore, junior and senior, making him the first-ever Lehigh player to become a three-time first team All-League selection.
Garzillo set new Lehigh career records in hits (236), doubles (60 – also a Patriot League record), games played (205) and at bats (746), while ranking second in career RBI (140), home runs (22), triples (10) and runs scored (145). The Wind Gap, Pa. native and two-time team captain wrapped up his time as a Mountain Hawk as a .316 career hitter. Garzillo hit .313 as a senior, including a .373 mark in Patriot League play, with league-best marks in slugging percentage (.562) and runs scored (51) in addition to nine home runs and 37 RBI.
Garzillo helped lead the Mountain Hawks to three-straight postseason appearances during his time in the Brown and White, including back-to-back championship appearances in 2014 and 2015 and the program's second-ever league title and NCAA Tournament appearance in 2015. Following his record-setting junior campaign in which he hit .359 with 54 RBI and a Lehigh single-season record 13 home runs, Garzillo earned numerous national and regional accolades including Baseball America second team All-America laurels, NCBWA District I Player of the Year honors and ABCA/Rawlings first team All-Region accolades in addition to being named the MVP of the Patriot League Tournament and earning a spot on the NCAA Baton Rouge Regional All-Tournament Team.
In addition to his work on the field, Garzillo graduated with his bachelor's degree in Management from Lehigh's College of Business and Economics in May with a final cumulative grade point average of 3.45. He became the first-ever Lehigh baseball player to be named a CoSIDA Academic All-District honoree and three-time Academic All-League member. He earned several of the Lehigh Athletics department's top awards as he was named the 2016 Graduating Scholar-Athlete of the Year, which is considered to be the most prestigious honor awarded to a student-athlete in the department. Garzillo was also named the recipient of the John A. Cable Leadership Award, given to the department's top male leader, Sportsmanship Award and Distinguished Achievement Award.
"It all started with Lehigh because coming out of high school Lehigh was a team that believed in me from day one," said Garzillo. "Coach Leary and the whole coaching staff has taught me so much and gave me such a great opportunity. They really led me to this position and ultimately my dream came true. I can't thank Coach Leary, the entire Lehigh coaching staff and the Lehigh Athletics department enough for what they've done to help get me here today."
"Very few young men come through a program and not only contribute on the field, but also have just as big an influence off the field," said Leary. "His leadership, work ethic and integrity have impacted our program for years to come. I am extremely grateful for what he contributed to our program and Lehigh as a whole."
Garzillo is the tenth Lehigh player to be selected in the MLB Draft, and the first Lehigh player to be drafted twice.
Lehigh in the Major League Baseball draft
*drafted out of high school prior to enrolling at Lehigh, but did not sign and came to LU
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BETHLEHEM, Pa. – The Miami Marlins selected Lehigh baseball senior Mike Garzillo in the 25th round (No. 743 overall) of the 2016 MLB Draft Saturday afternoon. While at Lehigh, Garzillo was a three-time first team All-Patriot League pick, 2015 All-American and the 2016 Patriot League Player of the Year.
"I've wanted to play professional baseball my entire life so this is such a dream come true," said Garzillo. "It's really exciting when a team believes enough in you to pick you and I couldn't be more thankful to the Miami Marlins for giving me this great opportunity."
"Mike is as deserving of this opportunity as any young man that I've coached in my years at Lehigh," said head coach Sean Leary. "He's had a positive impact on everyone he's come in contact with and I couldn't be happier for him today."
The 2016 Patriot League Player of the Year, Garzillo put together one of the most decorated careers in Lehigh baseball history. Garzillo was drafted in the 38th round (No. 1143 overall) of the 2015 MLB Draft by the New York Yankees, but chose to return to Lehigh for his senior season. The second baseman earned first team All-Patriot League laurels as a sophomore, junior and senior, making him the first-ever Lehigh player to become a three-time first team All-League selection.
Garzillo set new Lehigh career records in hits (236), doubles (60 – also a Patriot League record), games played (205) and at bats (746), while ranking second in career RBI (140), home runs (22), triples (10) and runs scored (145). The Wind Gap, Pa. native and two-time team captain wrapped up his time as a Mountain Hawk as a .316 career hitter. Garzillo hit .313 as a senior, including a .373 mark in Patriot League play, with league-best marks in slugging percentage (.562) and runs scored (51) in addition to nine home runs and 37 RBI.
Garzillo helped lead the Mountain Hawks to three-straight postseason appearances during his time in the Brown and White, including back-to-back championship appearances in 2014 and 2015 and the program's second-ever league title and NCAA Tournament appearance in 2015. Following his record-setting junior campaign in which he hit .359 with 54 RBI and a Lehigh single-season record 13 home runs, Garzillo earned numerous national and regional accolades including Baseball America second team All-America laurels, NCBWA District I Player of the Year honors and ABCA/Rawlings first team All-Region accolades in addition to being named the MVP of the Patriot League Tournament and earning a spot on the NCAA Baton Rouge Regional All-Tournament Team.
In addition to his work on the field, Garzillo graduated with his bachelor's degree in Management from Lehigh's College of Business and Economics in May with a final cumulative grade point average of 3.45. He became the first-ever Lehigh baseball player to be named a CoSIDA Academic All-District honoree and three-time Academic All-League member. He earned several of the Lehigh Athletics department's top awards as he was named the 2016 Graduating Scholar-Athlete of the Year, which is considered to be the most prestigious honor awarded to a student-athlete in the department. Garzillo was also named the recipient of the John A. Cable Leadership Award, given to the department's top male leader, Sportsmanship Award and Distinguished Achievement Award.
"It all started with Lehigh because coming out of high school Lehigh was a team that believed in me from day one," said Garzillo. "Coach Leary and the whole coaching staff has taught me so much and gave me such a great opportunity. They really led me to this position and ultimately my dream came true. I can't thank Coach Leary, the entire Lehigh coaching staff and the Lehigh Athletics department enough for what they've done to help get me here today."
"Very few young men come through a program and not only contribute on the field, but also have just as big an influence off the field," said Leary. "His leadership, work ethic and integrity have impacted our program for years to come. I am extremely grateful for what he contributed to our program and Lehigh as a whole."
Garzillo is the tenth Lehigh player to be selected in the MLB Draft, and the first Lehigh player to be drafted twice.
Lehigh in the Major League Baseball draft
| Year | Player | Position | Team |
| 1971 | Rich Revta | C | Texas Rangers |
| 1973 | Frank Zawatski | C | San Francisco Giants |
| 1975 | Paul Hartzell | P | California Angels |
| 1976 | Joe Carroll | OF | Texas Rangers |
| 1989 | Dave Norwood | P | Cleveland Indians |
| 1997 | Ben Talbott | 3B | Anaheim Angels |
| 2002 | Jack Lyons* | P | Montreal Expos |
| 2006 | Matt McBride | C | Cleveland Indians |
| 2015 | Justin Pacchioli | CF | San Diego Padres |
| 2015 | Mike Garzillo | 2B | New York Yankees |
| 2016 | Mike Garzillo | 2B | Miami Marlins |
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