Rutgers-Newark and Former Dayton Standout Joe Furnaguera Awaits MLB Draft

The Major League Baseball Draft is a 50-round, three-day affair. It started last night and it runs through Wednesday.

For one Springfield resident, it could be a dream realized.

For the past four seasons, former Jonathan Dayton standout Joe Furnaguera has been a fixture at third base for Rutgers-Newark University and this season, in particular, Furnaguera made an impression.

The 6-4, 225-pound Furnaguera led the Scarlet Raiders (22-21, 11-7 New Jersey Athletic Conference) in five categories: .381 (batting average), 61 (hits), five (triples), 11 (home runs) and a .713 (slugging percentage). Furnaguera also had 10 doubles, 38 RBI, 44 runs scored and started in every game the past two seasons (80), including 43 games this year. For his four-year career in Newark, he hit .320 with 28 home runs and 126 RBI.

"Joe has developed tremendously over the past four years, after coming in with a lot of raw talent," Rutgers-Newark coach Mark Rizzi, who finished his eighth season at the helm, said. "He has the tools to be an outstanding player (power, speed, size and arm strength), but he wasn't using those tools to his fullest. Each year he has progressed. His defense at third base has improved each year as well as his batting average and home run total. He still has a lot of potential to get even better."

For his efforts this season, the accolades have flooded in for Furnaguera, who majored in Philosophy and Criminal Justice.

Furnaguera was named first-team All-NJAC, All-State Division II-III by the New Jersey Collegiate Baseball Writers Association and was a second-team selection for All-Mid-Atlantic Regional Team, which included NCAA Division III programs from New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland and Pennsylvania. At Rutgers-Newark, he was also voted hardest worker by his teammates this season and received the coaches award at the end of the season.

"Joe has worked very hard in the weight room, in the batting cage and on the field improving his defense," Rizzi said. "He recognized in his sophomore year how good he can be. I give him a lot of credit for setting goals and working hard to reach those goals. He was one of three players voted as captain and I'm sure his work ethic was a major factor. He developed into one of the most feared hitters in the NJAC. He has freakish power. I have coached in the conference for nine years and I have never seen a player hit the ball so far and so hard."

According to Coach Rizzi, Furnaguera, who still resides in Springfield, has gotten some interest from a few MLB teams, including the Kansas City Royals (most interest), Cincinnati Reds and New York Yankees and there is a chance he may get drafted.

"I will probably be home with my family hoping my name is selected. I don't plan on getting picked in the earlier rounds, but I am just hoping somebody takes a chance on me," Furnaguera said. "If I don't get selected in the draft, I will probably spend the rest of the summer traveling to different tryouts for independent teams or open tryouts for major league squads."

In high school, Furnaguera was a second team All-State Group I selection and was named first team all-league and All-Union County as a junior and senior at Dayton.  Furnaguera led the Bulldogs to four state tournament berths and helped the team to a 22-5 record, a league championship and a spot in the Union County finals in 2005. Furnaguera also excelled on the hardwood and was an all-conference selection in basketball his junior and senior seasons.

"I give a lot of credit for my work ethic to my coaches at Dayton including Chris Loeffler, Brian Costello, Dave Nash and Michael Abbate, the current baseball coach at Dayton. My desire to win and my desire to work hard every day are traits that I picked up throughout my high school career," Furnaguera said. "After graduating Dayton, I didn't know what to expect in college. It is very easy for a player to either succeed or fail at the next level regardless of their past, baseball is a funny game like that.  I feel the same way about playing at the next level.  I have no control over what happens in the draft so I try not to waste energy worrying about something I have no control over.  Instead, I spend that energy hitting with my hitting coach or in the weight room preparing myself just in case anything does happen."

To check out if it happens, tune into www.MLB.com/Live, where they will feature a live pick-by-pick stream.

"I am very proud of Joe. He is the ideal student-athlete. He is an outstanding student and has developed into a pro prospect by good old fashioned hard work. The sky is the limit for him, whether it be in baseball or whatever career he pursues," Rizzi added.