The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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AUGUST 2017 THE WOLVERINE 65 MICHIGAN IN THE PROS matter if you're a high draft pick or if you weren't drafted at all, you have something to prove. Both of those guys are important keys to our team going forward next year." OLIVER JASKIE LEADS THE WAY FOR LARGE U-M CONTINGENT IN MLB DRAFT Michigan baseball set a program record with 11 players picked in the MLB Draft June 12-14, extending the streak of players taken to five years under head coach Erik Bakich. In ad- dition, six incoming freshmen were selected, two of which opted to sign professional contracts. Junior left-handed pitcher Oliver Jaskie was the first current Wolver- ines off the board, going in the sixth round (183rd overall pick) to the Se- attle Mariners. He appeared in 52 games through three seasons with the Wolverines, making 31 starts and throwing 202 2/3 innings. Jaskie notched 119 strikeouts during his junior season, tying Jim Burton (1970) for Michigan's single- season record. Jaskie's 223 career strikeouts rank eighth all time at Michigan. The complete list of Wolverine baseball draftees can be found on page 16 in the Inside Michigan Ath- letics section. NBA WOLVERINES START STRONG IN NBA SUMMER LEAGUE ACTION Forward D.J. Wilson did not waste any time showing people why the Milwaukee Bucks made him their first-round pick in the NBA Draft. Through three contests, he was av- eraging 14.7 points, 6.3 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 2.0 blocks per outing. Wilson scored 11 points in his NBA Summer League debut, an 82-53 loss to Cleveland July 7, and tallied 16 with six rebounds and two blocks in an 88-83 win over former U-M team- mate Caris LeVert and Brooklyn two days later. On July 10, Wilson contributed 17 points, eight rebounds, four assists and two blocks in a 100-93 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers. LeVert, a second-year player who saw action in 57 games as a rookie after recovering from a foot injury, notched 18 points with seven assists in the loss to Wilson and the Bucks July 9. He was averaging 15.7 points, 7.0 rebounds and 2.3 assists in 26.0 min- utes per contest while shooting 46.2 percent from the field. Graduated seniors Derrick Walton Jr. and Zak Irvin also signed NBA Summer League deals with Orlando and Miami, respectively. Walton, in particular, made an early impression with his team. "I love everything about him," Magic assistant coach Chad Forcier said after Walton helped lead an 81- 68 win over Miami July 2. "I don't care if he is 6-5 or 5-5, I like the way he plays the game. "He's a competitor, he's fearless and he's very skilled. He plays both ends of the court. I am a fan." Walton is playing with poise while "all of his skills from Michigan have translated onto the court and have forced everyone to take notice," Or- landoMagicDaily.com reported. Walton averaged 10.0 points per game and led the team with 14 assists (3.5 per game). He shot 46.9 percent from the floor and 6 of 12 from be- yond the arc (50.0 percent) in four games. "I think I have a lot more to prove, but for the most part I think I have showed a lot," Walton said. "With the type of guy I am, I am eager to learn and continue to grow. "[The Magic] just wanted me to be me. Being a guy who can make shots, defend and disrupt some guys, and run the team like I have been doing the last four years in college. I think it's working out for me." Irvin started three of the four games in which he appeared, aver- aging 4.8 points per contest while shooting just 1 of 13 from three-point range. MLB ZACH PUTNAM HAS TOMMY JOHN SURGERY The Chicago Tribune reported that former Michigan pitcher Zach Put- nam underwent Tommy John sur- gery in late June, ending his season. Putnam had been on the disabled list since April 25 with elbow inflam- mation. He posted a 1.04 ERA over seven appearances this year. "Zach and his doctors thought it was worthwhile for him to try to fight back and pitch through it, which obviously he was able to do for a short period of time, but ul- timately the ligament gave out," general manager Rick Hahn told the Tribune. "Zach deserves a world of credit for doing everything he could the last two years to fight his way back to contribute in the bullpen. Unfor- tunately, it didn't work out for him." In other baseball news, former U-M pitcher Clayton Richard stood 5-8 with a 4.66 ERA and 75 strikeouts in San Diego, while Rich Hill was 5-4 with a 3.69 ERA with the Los Angeles Dodgers as of July 10. ❏ Tim Hardaway, Jr. • NBA Hardaway, a restricted free agent, signed a four-year, $71-million offer sheet with the New York Knicks that the Atlanta Hawks opted not to match. He averaged 14.5 points in 27.3 minutes per game in 2016-17. David Harris • NFL Harris signed a two-year deal with the New England Patriots after 10 seasons with the New York Jets. The deal has a base value of $5 million with $1.25 million guaranteed and can reach a total value of $6.75 million, per reports. Jon Merrill • NHL Merrill went from the New Jersey Devils to the Las Vegas Golden Knights in the NHL Expansion Draft in June. New Jersey took Mer- rill No. 38 overall in the second round of the 2010 NHL Draft, and he made his NHL debut in 2013. He played in 216 games and recorded 36 points over four seasons with the Devils. HEADLINERS Former Michigan athletes in the news this month