Drew Vettleson

Drew Gordon Vettleson

• Bats Left, Throws Right
• Height 6' 1", Weight 170 lb.
• High School Central Kitsap High School

• Born July 19, 1991 in Bremerton, WA USA

BR Minors page

Biographical Information

Drew Vettleson was a supplemental first-round selection in the 2010 amateur draft.

Vettleson hit .490 as a high school senior and had a 1.35 ERA on the hill. He was picked by the Tampa Bay Rays with their third first-round choice of the 2010 draft, following Josh Sale and Justin O'Conner. Only one other player had ever gone to the minors from his high school - Todd Linden, who made it to the big leagues. He debuted as a pro a little over a year later, with the 2011 Princeton Rays on June 21st, going 2 for 4 with a steal and a run against the Burlington Royals. He hit .282/.357/.462 in 61 games, with 13 doubles, 4 triples and 7 homers.

In 2012, Vettleson was assigned to the Bowling Green Hot Rods, where he hit .275/.340/.432 in 132 games, principally as a right fielder. He continued to show a knack for hitting for extra bases, as he collected 24 doubles, 5 triples and 15 homers, scoring 80 runs and driving in 69. In 2013, he moved up to the Charlotte Stone Crabs of the Florida State League and continued to hit well, albeit in a tougher environment, with a batting line of .274/.331/.388 in 121 games. he hit 29 doubles and 5 triples, but only 4 homers in a league not known to favor long ball hitters.

Just as spring training was getting under way in 2014, he was traded to the Washington Nationals along with C Jose Lobaton and P Felipe Rivero in return for top pitching prospect Nathan Karns. He was injured for part of that season, as he played only 75 games for the AA Harrisburg Senators, also getting into 8 games on a rehabilitation assignment with the Auburn Doubledays. Between the two stops, he hit .252, with his OBP falling to .289. His home run power returned to some degree, as he hit 8 long balls, in addition to 15 doubles and 4 triples, but he also struck out 80 times in only 270 at bats. He returned to Harrisburg to start the 2015 season.

Sources

• Central Kitsap Reporter
• MLB.com