Boston College Athletics
MacDonald, Butera Taken On Second Day Of MLB Draft
June 10, 2009 | Baseball
June 10, 2009
CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. - Boston College senior RHP JB MacDonald and junior INF/OF Barry Butera were both selected on Wednesday during the second day of the 2009 MLB Draft.
MacDonald was taken in the 18th round (551st overall) while Butera was drafted in the 21st round (641st overall). Both were picked by the Houston Astros.
MacDonald and Butera are now the third and fourth players to be taken in this year's draft, respectively. Junior Tony Sanchez was taken fourth overall by Pittsburgh and junior Mike Belfiore was drafted 45th overall in Comp Round A by Arizona.
MacDonald emerged as one of the top No. 1 starters in the Atlantic Coast Conference this season. He finished with a 5-7 record and a 4.86 ERA. He started 15 games on the mound and worked 96.1 innings, a team high. He allowed 58 runs - 52 earned - on 96 hits and struck out 71 while walking 32.
Through his first eight starts of the year, the Danvers, Mass., native kept his earned run average below three. His most impressive performance came on April 11 at Wake Forest. MacDonald was three outs away from hurling a no-hitter vs. the Demon Deacons. He only allowed five base runners in the game and three of them came in the ninth inning.
Butera was Boston College's third-leading hitter this year with a .326 average. He started 57 games at three different positions - right field, second base and shortstop. The Astros listed him as a second baseman.
The Covington, La., product currently ranks third in the ACC in triples (4) and fifth in sacrifice bunts (10). He finished the year with nine doubles, four home runs and 34 RBI. He slugged at a .460 clip and recorded a .404 on-base percentage. He also had the second-most stolen bases on the team with six. Butera finished the season with a multi-hit game in six of the last nine contests.
