Pirates Pick Albert Baur in MLB Draft

Newberry College graduate Albert Baur has been selected by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 2015 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft. Baur is the 847th overall pick in the 28th round.

With his selection, Baur becomes the 17th Newberry College baseball player selected in the MLB Draft since 1972. Baur, a native of Philadephia, Pa., and graduate of Neumann-Goretti HS, graduated from Newberry College in May with a bachelor of science degree, majoring in sport management.

Baur was a consensus Division II All-American, earning first team All-American honors from Daktronics/D2SIDA and second team All-American honors from the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) and National Collegiate Baseball Writers' Association (NCBWA).

The two-time first team All-South Atlantic Conference selection was a consensus first team all-region selection from the NCBWA, Daktronics and the ABCA, the only player in school history to be named first team by each publication in a single year. He was also named an Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Division II All-Star on Tuesday.

He led the Wolves to their most prolific season in recent history, leading them to 34 wins - the most since 1977 - and 21 wins in South Atlantic Conference action, the first time Newberry has eclipsed the 20-win mark since joining the league since 1997. In his tenure, Baur led the scarlet and gray to 113 victories, the most by any player in a four year career dating back through 1982. 

Baur hit .427 (88-for-206) for the season with 24 doubles, 16 home runs, 59 RBIs and 54 runs scored. He slugged .796 while reaching base at a .510 clip en route to setting the single season Newberry records for hits, doubles, total bases, on-base percentage and slugging percentage.  

In the South Atlantic Conference standings, Baur placed in the top six in hits, runs, doubles, home runs, RBIs, total bases, batting average, on-base percentage and slugging percentage. His batting average, doubles, hits, home runs, on-base percentage, slugging percentage and total bases also ranked in the top 20 in all of NCAA Division II. 

Throughout the course of the season, Baur totaled 28 games with multiple hits, including 12 with three or more hits and three with five or more. He blasted two home runs in the same game four times in 2015. He had the longest hitting streak for Newberry this season with 11 games and the second longest streak of reaching base with 29 consecutive contests. Baur also tabbed 14 match ups with two or more RBIs, seven of which came with four or more. 

His best game of the season came against Limestone on February 18 when he went 5-for-5, hitting for the cycle with two home runs, seven RBIs and crossed the plate five times. He tagged five hits in six trips to the plate against Catawba on February 27 with another pair of home runs and four RBIs. In the first game of the series at Lenoir-Rhyne on April 3, he was 5-for-5 with two home runs, just a triple shy of hitting for the cycle for the second time in the season. 

The left-handed hitter caps off an illustrious career and leaves Newberry as the most decorated player in program history. Baur compiled a .353 career batting average (284-for-805) with 66 doubles, 29 home runs, 196 RBIs and scored 150 times. He donned the Wolves uniform 203 times in his tenure, making 200 starts, setting the Newberry standard in nearly every statistical category. 

Baur leaves the program holding the all-time records for games played, games started, at bats, hits, doubles, RBIs, total bases, intentional walks, defensive putouts, defensive chances and double plays turned. His batting average, slugging percentage, runs scored, home runs and walks also rank in the top 10 in Newberry history. 

Visit NewberryWolves.com for additional information on Newberry College all-time Major League Baseball draft picks.