Upstate Signee Palladino Taken in 13th Round of MLB Draft by Dodgers
6/7/2011 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Incoming Spartan David Palladino (Emerson, N.J.) heard his name called on day two of the 2011 MLB First Year Player Draft as he was drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers with the 13th pick in the 13th Round (404th overall pick).
As a senior at Emerson High School, Palladino earned a pair of postseason accolades and is in the hunt for three others. The 6-foot-9 left-hander earned First-Team All-League and First-Team All-County (Bergen County) after posting a 10-1 record with a 1.07 ERA in 72 1/3 innings on the mound.
Palladino is still waiting for his name to potentially appear on the All-State team and is in the running for Player of the Year in North New Jersey as well as Player of the Year for the State of New Jersey. He allowed just 14 runs (11 earned) on 17 hits over the course of the season while fanning 131 with just 43 walks. He also fired three no-hitters, two one-hitters and two two-hitters this season.
Palladino was also a force at the plate as a senior as he finished the season with a .488 average (42-for-86) and picked up 33 RBI to go along with 16 extra-base hits (7 2Bs, 1 3B and 8 HRs). He earned a total of 20 free passes (17 walks, 3 HBP) and finished with a .585 on-base percentage and a .872 slugging percentage.
During his junior season, Palladino transferred to Emerson HS on April 12th and began playing on May 14th, pitching 34 2/3 innings in a 20-day span as he posted a 5-1 record with a 1.62 ERA and 33 strikeouts. In the New Jersey State Quarterfinals, Palladino tossed a no-hitter. Emerson claimed the league and sectional championships before falling in the state semifinals.
Prior to joining Emerson, Palladino played at Paramus Catholic HS (Paramus, N.J.). As a sophomore, finished with a team-best .455 average and totaled 14 RBI. Finished the season 4-2 and fanned 55 batters in 45 innings of work. While on the freshman team in 2008, Palladino served as a team captain and batted .425 and drove in 28 runs. On the mound, he posted a 5-2 mark with a 1.91 ERA and 56 strikeouts.
Palladino is the second consecutive incoming baseball recruit to be drafted out of high school as he follows David Roseboom (Pattersonville, N.Y.), a 47th round selection by the Boston Red Sox in the 2010 Draft.
