Gator Country

Florida right-hander Anthony DeSclafani signed a minor league deal with the Toronto Blue Jays this weekend. / Gator Country photo by Tim Casey

Right-hander Anthony DeSclafani, a member of the 2011 Gator baseball team, signed with the Toronto Blue Jays over the weekend and will forgo his final year of eligibility at the University of Florida.

DeSclafani was taken by the Blue Jays in the sixth round with the 199th selection, and became the eighth player of the school-record 11 players from head coach Kevin O’Sullivan’s club drafted in June to come to terms. The signing deadline is on Monday, Aug. 15, at midnight ET.

In 28 appearances and 43.2 innings for the Gators this spring, DeSclafani was 5-3 with a 4.33 earned run average. He struck out 39 batters, issued six walks, totaled three saves, was part of three shutouts and made starts against Florida State (March 29 in Jacksonville) and Florida Atlantic (Feb. 22 in Jupiter).

The righty had a 2-1 record with one save and a 6.23 ERA in eight SEC outings that spanned 8.2 innings. In addition, he struck out the only South Carolina batter he faced in game two of the CWS Championship Finals.

DeSclafani pitched a career-high 7.2 innings out of the bullpen against Georgia in the SEC Tournament, allowing two runs on seven hits, with four strikeouts, and he completed the Gators’ 6-0 shutout of Alabama in Hoover by recording the final two outs.

He notched the final three outs after entering the ballgame with a pair of runners aboard and none out against Miami (Fla.) to complete UF’s first-ever sweep of the Hurricanes in Gainesville on March 6 after becoming the winning pitcher the previous afternoon versus UM by setting down all six hitters he encountered in the 1-0 triumph.

DeSclafani had previously been picked in the 22nd round of the 2008 MLB Draft by the Boston Red Sox.

During his three-year career at Florida, he saw action in 68 games and made 19 starts, with a 13-9 record and a 5.36 ERA. Over 149.1 innings, he registered 115 strikeouts and permitted 30 walks.

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