Baseball – Diamondbacks Take TR North’s Joey Rose in Fifth Round of MLB Draft

After performing well against some of the best prep baseball competition in N.J., Toms River North senior Joey Rose will now have a chance to compete against the best competition anywhere.

The Arizona Diamondbacks selected Rose with their fifth-round selection and the No. 149 pick overall Friday on the second day of the 2016 Major League Baseball First Year Player Draft – making Rose the third Shore Conference alumnus to hear his name called and second 2016 high school graduate from the Shore.

“We kind of freaked out when we heard,” said Rose, who stayed home from school to spend time with his family at his home in Toms River. “It was a great reaction from everybody. We went out to breakfast in the morning and we were talking about (the Draft) the whole time.”

Rose is an Oklahoma State University commit and will have until July 15 at 11:59 p.m. to agree to terms with the Diamondbacks. Rose said he will consult with his adviser and his family regarding his decision between college and pro ball, but said he is excited at the prospect of starting his pro career.

“I want to go out there and play as soon as I can,” Rose said. “I know it’s a process, so I’m just going to stay ready. I’m just going to enjoy the time with my family and talk it over with them and my adviser.”

During his senior season, Rose went head-to-head with Barnegat left-hander Jason Groome and Monroe right-hander Robbie Peto and performed well against both. Rose went 2-for-3 with a two-run double against Groome in a 7-1 Toms River North win and also picked up a hit against Peto in an 8-5 Mariners win. Groome was selected No. 12 overall Thursday by the Red Sox and Peto is considered one of the top 200 players available by Baseball America.

Beyond performing against the top pitchers on the Toms River North scheduled, Rose also put up huge numbers overall. This past season, Rose led N.J. with 11 home runs while also hitting .437 with six doubles, 33 runs and 38 RBI while also posting a .615 on-base percentage and a 1.015 slugging percentage.

In three varsity seasons at Toms River North, Rose hit .417 with 23 doubles, 18 home runs, 78 runs and 73 RBI. He also put up a career on-base percentage of .561 and a slugging percentage of .798, which both led the Shore Conference over the last three years.

Rose follows Groome and University of Virginia catcher and Jackson Memorial graduate Matt Thaiss as Shore Conference players selected in this year's draft.

Update: Rose and the Diamondbacks agreed to a $400,000 signing bonus. Rose was assigned to the Diamondbacks Rookie Ball club in the Arizona League.