Lincoln ? University of Nebraska right-hander Joba Chamberlain became the sixth Husker baseball player taken in the first round in school history, as he was selected by the New York Yankees in the supplemental round of the 2006 Major League Baseball Draft.
Chamberlain was selected No. 41 overall by the New York Yankees after going 6-5 with a 3.93 ERA in 89.1 innings of work. A two-time Big 12 Pitcher of the Week, Chamberlain finished third in the Big 12 with 102 strikeouts and averaged 10.28 strikeouts per nine innings.
In his two-year career, he compiled a 16-7 record with a 3.29 ERA in 32 starts, as he ranks fourth with 232 strikeouts in 208.0 career innings. He fanned 10 or more hitters eight times in his career, including four outings during the 2006 campaign.
As a sophomore, Chamberlain earned All-America honors, going 10-2 with a 2.81 ERA, fanning 130 to rank second in the Big 12. A first-team All-Big 12 pick in 2005, he was also the league’s newcomer of the year and ranked among the Big 12 leaders in seven categories, including strikeouts (130, second), wins (10, third), innings (118.2, third), strikeouts/nine innings (9.86, fourth), starts (18, fifth), ERA (ninth) and opponent batting average (.218, 10th).
He is the first Husker pitcher taken in the first round since the 1995 Draft when two-way player Alvie Shepherd was the No. 21 overall pick by the Baltimore Orioles. It also marks the first time in Nebraska history that the Huskers have had first-round picks in back-to-back seasons. Alex Gordon was the No. 2 overall pick of the Kansas City Royals in 2005.
Previous First-Round Husker Picks
Year Player Team Round (Pick)
1982 Steve Stanicek San Francisco Giants First (No. 11)
1985 Bill McGuire Seattle Mariners First (No. 27)
1995 Darin Erstad California Angels First (No. 1)
1995 Alvie Shepherd Baltimore Orioles First (No. 21)
2005 Alex Gordon Kansas City Royals First (No. 2)
2006 Joba Chamberlain New York Yankees First (No. 41)
Year ERA W-L App GS CG SHO/CBO SV IP H R ER BB SO 2B 3B HR BF B/Avg WP HBP SFA SHA
2005.... 2.81 10-2 18 18 1 0/1 0 118.2 91 44 37 33 130 16 2 7 472 .218 4 8 0 14
2006.... 3.93 6-5 14 14 0 0/0 0 89.1 84 41 39 34 102 11 3 8 380 .255 5 6 1 10
TOTAL... 3.29 16-7 32 32 1 0/1 0 208.0 175 85 76 67 232 27 5 15 852 .235 9 14 1 24