A's Take Marks With Second Pick

The Oakland A's added to an area of strength with their second pick in the 2009 draft, taking polished collegiate left-hander Justin Marks out of the University of Louisville.

It is no secret that the Oakland A's have had a lot of success with drafting collegiate pitchers over the past few seasons. So it was no shock that the A's went with a college starter with their second pick in the 2009 draft, left-hander Justin Marks out of the University of Louisville.

Marks had a decorated career with the Cardinals. A second-team All-American in 2009, Marks is Louisville's all-time leader in wins (29), ERA (2.96) and strike-outs (305). In 2009, he went 11-3 with a 3.77 ERA and 129 strike-outs in 105 innings for Louisville. He was the second Cardinal picked in the third round (third-baseman Chris Dominguez went to the San Francisco Giants earlier in round three).

Marks, an Owensboro, Kentucky, native, is a four-pitch pitcher who throws his fastball in the 90-92 range. He met with instant success upon joining the Louisville baseball team, and was named a Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American in 2007. He was also the Big East's Freshman of the Year that season. He was first-team All-Big East in 2008 and was the conference's Pitcher of the Year in 2009.

The draft will resume on Tuesday morning with round four and will continue through Wednesday.