After five Stanford juniors were selected in the annual Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft on June 7-8, the futures of two remain somewhat uncertain. Right fielder Michael Taylor (173rd pick overall) and second baseman Adam Sorgi (653rd overall) both signed with the Philadelphia Phillies on June 12, while the first Cardinal player selected, right-handed pitcher Nolan Gallagher (135th overall), signed with the Seattle Mariners on June 20.

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Right-handed pitcher Nolan Gallagher was the first Stanford player selected in the 2007 MLB Draft. Gallagher was the 135th pick overall, and he signed with the Seattle Mariners on June 20.

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Michael Taylor, #30.

But right-handed pitcher Erik Davis, chosen by the Texas Rangers with the 650th pick overall, and catcher Brian Juhl, selected by the Cleveland Indians with the 1,063rd pick overall, have yet to sign. Teams have until Aug. 15 to sign their draft picks — should the Rangers and Indians fail to sign Davis and Juhl, respectively, by that date, the pair would be free to return to Stanford for their senior seasons.

Only high-school graduates and college juniors and seniors are eligible for the draft, with juniors facing a particularly interesting decision. Their ability to return to college gives them added leverage in contract negotiations, but should they come back and not drastically improve their draft stock the following season, they won’t have that same leverage again and will likely receive a smaller contract.

Last year, seven Stanford players were selected. All went on to sign professional contracts.