LIVE OAK — The Detroit Tigers selected Suwannee catcher Sam McMillan in the fifth round of the MLB Draft on Tuesday.

Drafted Dogs

Sam McMillan became the ninth Suwannee High grad to be taken in the MLB Draft. Five of those were drafted out of high school.

Suwannee High products drafted in the MLB Draft straight out of SHS:

Player	Year	Round	Pick	Team
Jake Greene	1990	48	1218	Atlanta Braves
Karry Riley	1990	50	1257	Detroit Tigers
Jason Kelley	1994	4	106	Chicago Cubs
Derrik Dedge	1999	39	1175	Seattle Mariners
Sam McMillan	2017	5	155	Detroit Tigers

The other four SHS grads to be drafted went after spending time in college. They are:

Player	School	Year	Round	Pick	Team
Terry Mixon	Ga. Southern	1978	12	292	Seattle Mariners
Tyler Chambliss	Florida State	2006	11	317	KC Royals
Ryan Stovall	Thomas Univ.	2009	19	572	KC Royals
Daniel Tillman	Fla. Southern	2010	2	81	Anaheim Angels

McMillan, the 155th overall pick, is the ninth Suwannee High grad to be taken in the major league draft. Five of those nine players were drafted out of high school, including Jason Kelley, who was taken in the fourth round in 1994.   

Current Bulldogs pitching coach Daniel Tillman was the highest draft pick in SHS school history. He was selected in the second round of the 2010 draft  after playing three years at Florida Southern College. 

Tillman got to spend a lot of time working with McMillan this season. 

“Sam is a true student of the game,” Tillman said. “He always asks good questions. He’s put in a tremendous amount of work. 

“It’s a win-win whether he signs or decides to go to Florida.”

McMillan hit seven home runs and drove in 30 runs in his senior season. A four-year starter, he finished his SHS career with a .348 batting average, 10 home runs and 83 RBIs.

McMillan will now choose between signing with Detroit or playing for UF.