Meet the Phillies’ Day 3 MLB draft picks, including one with a link to Mariah Carey

The Phillies finished the MLB Draft on Wednesday by selecting 30 more players, including a third baseman with a connection to Mariah Carey.

Matt Kroon, who passed on signing with the Phillies last year, is the son of Marc Kroon, a former major-league pitcher who had a long career in Japan. Marc Kroon was behind the plate with the Yomiuri Giants 2008 when Mariah Carey bounced her infamous first-pitch at the Tokyo Dome.

The Phillies drafted Kroon in the 18th round after drafting him last June in the 30th. He opted last year to play at Oklahoma State, where he was the Big 12's newcomer of the year after transferring from a junior college. Kroon batted .303 as a junior with the Cowboys with a .974 OPS in 211 at-bats. This is his third time being drafted as the Reds drafted him out of high school in 2008's 38th round.

"He's a big, physical kid," said Johnny Almaraz, the Phillies director of amateur scouting." "He's a good defensive player. He's athletic. He can play second, he can play short, he can play third, he can play the outfield. We like his versatility and his power."

Meet the newest picks here:

The Phillies started Day 3 the same way they had started Day 2, by drafting a college righthander. Perkins made 16 starts for Stetson and registered a 2.34 ERA in 103 2/3 innings. Perkins, who will turn 21 in August, struck out 214 and walked just 61 over the last two seasons in 203 1/3 innings. He spent last summer in the Cape Cod League, but struggled with a 5.93 ERA in seven starts.

"You can go look at somebody's history like Perkins," Almaraz said. "This guy is a blue collar, competitor. He's a grinder on the mound. He's someone who will fight you tooth and nail. He's a winner."

McArthur, a junior, was the No. 3 starter for the Rebels. He had a 4.48 ERA in 16 starts with 58 strikeouts and 38 walks in 66 1/3 innings. Opponents batted .239 against McArthur, whose 6-foot-7 frame makes him an appealing pick here. He had some success on Cape Cod, registering a 3.00 ERA last summer in eight starts. His father, Gregory, pitched for four seasons in Baltimore's minor-league system.

The Phillies drafted a high school player from Puerto Rico for the second straight day. The 18-year-old Mercado is committed to play at Stephen F. Austin and projects to be a speedy, top-of-the-lineup infielder.

"He can run, he can throw, he can play defense," Almaraz said. "He has a really short swing with some leverage in it and the chance to grow into some power. He has the chance to be a good player down the road."

Wilkening hit .310 as a junior with a 1.033 OPS in 199 at-bats. His nine homers were the second most on the Huskers, and he struck out 36 times with 24 walks. The 5-foot-10 200-pounder had a .970 fielding percentage behind the plate and made the All Big-Ten second team. He was on the watch list for the past two seasons for the Johnny Bench Award, given annually to college baseball's top catcher.

"He's a really advanced defensive catcher," Almaraz said. "He's someone that can really catch and receive. He has an above average arm and has the chance to be a really good major-league player one day."

Carpenter was a catcher until shifting to the mound last year after he grew seven inches. Now 6-foot-6, Carpenter throws a low-90s fastball, which could improve as he learns to pitch with his new height. Carpenter is committed to play at Central Arizona College, a junior college.

McKay transferred to Howard, a junior college in Texas, after spending a season in the Kansas State bullpen. The 6-foot-6, 180-pounder started 12 games at Howard and had a 5.06 ERA but struck out 11.53 batters per nine innings. Overall, he struck out 82 batters with 20 walks in 64 innings. He throws with a three-quarter delivery and pairs his low-90s fastball with a slider.

The Phillies went back to Wichita State to draft a teammate of first-round pick Alec Bohm. Killgore made all but one of his 24 appearances this season out of the Shockers bullpen. The lefthander struck out 40 and walked 19 in 39 innings with a 2.54 ERA. The 6-foot-3, 175-pounder was a redshirt sophomore this season.

The Phillies drafted Kroon in last year's 30th round but he decided to go to Oklahoma State, where he batted .303 with a .974 OPS in 211 at-bats. Last month, he was voted as the Big 12's newcomer of the year. His father, Marc, pitched parts of four seasons in the majors and for six years in Japan. Kroon arrived at Oklahoma State after starting his career at Oregon and transferring to Central Arizona, the junior college to which 15th rounder Daniel Carpenter is committed.

Kroon attended the same high school — Scottsdale, Arizona's Horizon High — as former Phillies first baseman Tommy Joseph.

Potter had a 4.07 ERA in 18 appearances as he worked mostly as a starter in his first year at the junior college. The righthander struck out 72 batters and walked 27 in 77.1 innings. He began his college career at Jacksonville State, where he split his time between the rotation and the bullpen.

Litton batted .285 with .462 slugging percentage in 221 at-bats in his first season at East Carolina. Litton went to high school at Southern Fulton High in Fulton County, just north of the Pennsylvania's border with Maryland. The third baseman spent the previous two seasons at Cowley County Junior College, which he helped lead to a third-place finish at last year's Junior College World Series. He batted .358 in his two seasons at Cowley.

Smith, an 18-year-old signed to play at UNC-Charlotte, finished his senior year with a 1.06 ERA in 12 starts. He struck out 85 batters and walked 39 in 66 1/3 innings. He pairs a high-80s fastball with a change-up and curveball, all of which he can throw for strikes. "He has a athletic lean body and loose arm, which allows his fastball to sit in the upper 80's while reaching the low 90s. His curveball has a tight spin with good downward action for a potential out pitch. We look forward to watching him develop," Charlotte head coach Mark Scalf said about Smith signed.

The Phillies drafted Miller as an outfielder, despite him playing mostly third base in college. He batted .309 as a junior with a team-high 13 homers and a .933 OPS in 181 at-bats. He was drafted last June by the Twins in the 31st round but decided to return to Indiana. Miller trimmed his strikeouts this season as he struck out just 35 times.

Hoppe, an 18-year-old from Long Island, played in high school with a wooden bat after his high school conference banned metal bats. He batted .511, was the league's MVP, and won the triple crown. O'Hoppe is touted for his work behind the plate and his strong arm. He's committed to play at East Carolina. He was projected to go earlier than the 23rd round, so O'Hoppe may require a nice bonus to join the Phillies.

"Our director of international scouting Sal Agostinelli knows him very well," Almaraz said. "He comes from that area and Sal has scouted him since he was 14, 15 years old. Alex Agostino, our area scout, built a great relationship with him and he's definitely someone who has the chance to be an outstanding receiver with some power down the road."

Williams batted .311 as a freshman at the junior college in Southern California. The speedy outfielder had a .368 on-base percentage in 132 at-bats and stole eight bases. He was named second-team all-conference.

Cox was a shutdown closer for the Division-II Yellow Jackets. He struck out 47 batters and walked 11 in 28 1/3 innings. The righthander struck out 42.3 percent of the batters he faced and held opponents to a .189 batting average.

White worked as a reliever for Southern Arkansas, a Division-II program. He struck out 44 batters and walked 11 in 31 2/3innings. The 6-foot-4, 225-pounder had a 1.99 ERA in 18 appearances and held batters to .146 average. White transferred to Southern Arkansas after three seasons at Dallas Baptist, where he pitched in 17 games over three years.

Conley did not play much this season at N.C. State as the Wolfpack relied on a freshman standout behind the plate. Conley, a junior, had just 33 at-bats and started eight games. He was drafted by the Red Sox in 2015 but opted instead for college.

Jones pitched in nine games this season and registered a 1.37 ERA with 74 strikeouts and 28 walks in 56 1/3 innings. He held opponents to a .198 batting average and he also hit .415 with a 1.139 OPS in 82 at-bats. Jones, who was first-team all-district as a pitcher at his Houston-area high school, is signed to play baseball at San Jacinto College-North, a juco in Houston.

Smith was committed to play at the same junior college as Jones, the Texas righthander drafted a round earlier, before he signed with Prairie View A&M, a Texas four-year Division-I school an hour northwest of Houston. Smith was also his school's quarterback.

Ramey is the second player the Phillies drafted Wednesday from Martin Luther King, joining 15th rounder Daniel Carpenter. Ramey is signed to play at Cal State Bakersfield. He has a fastball in the low 90s and had a 3.11 ERA in 11 games. Ramey struck out 45 batters and walked 49 in 45 innings.

Round 31, pick 917: RHP Tyler Carr, South Alabama
Round 32, pick 947: OF Ben Aklinski, Kentucky
Round 33, pick 977: RHP Jack Tinney, Tallahassee Community College
Round 34, pick 1007: C Nick Matera, Rutgers
Round 35, pick 1037: RHP Austin Ross, Radford
Round 36, pick 1067: OF Trent Bowles, Texas-San Antonio
Round 37, pick 1097: 1B Ryan Rijo, New Mexico Junior College
Round 38, pick 1127: RHP Stephen Jones, Samford
Round 39, pick 1157: C Matheu Nelson, Calvary Christian (Fla.)
Round 40, pick 1187: RHP Waylon Richardson, Kankakee Community College

>>READ MORE: Meet the Phillies' Day 2 picks