Multiple SLO County baseball players could get picked in the MLB draft. Here’s who to watch
Three college baseball players with San Luis Obispo County ties have emerged among the top tier in this year’s draft.
Two Cal Poly baseball players and a Cal Berkeley outfielder who graduated from Mission Prep are expected to be selected in the top three rounds of the Major League Baseball Draft.
The MLB Draft is scheduled to begin on July 17 and last through July 19.
Other local players also are likely to be selected in lower rounds.
Here’s a look at the local prospects:
Brooks Lee, Cal Poly shortshop
It’s rare for any local player to be selected in the top rounds, but Cal Poly shortstop Brooks Lee is a strong bet to be among the first names called by an MLB team.
Most mock drafts have Lee going anywhere from No. 1 to No. 5 overall, which would earn Lee, Coach Larry Lee’s son, a signing bonus estimated to be in the $6 million to $8 million range.
“Lee has potential five-tool talent in the big leagues, but his bat-to-ball abilities stand out,” MLB.com writer Dylan Svobada said of Lee. “Scouts have graded Lee’s contact skills as well-above average with a solid chance at competing for a batting title one day.”
Lee has excelled as a switch hitter with the Mustangs, slugging 15 home runs, with 55 RBI and a .357 batting average in his third and final year at Cal Poly.
Lee, a San Luis Obispo High graduate, led the Big West in several categories including hits, walks, doubles, home runs, runs scored, RBIs, slugging percentage and total bases. He was second in batting average and on-base percentage.
Lee won the Brooks Wallace Award this year, which honors the nation’s top collegiate shortstop. He also won his second straight Big West Conference Field Player of the Year honor in 2022.
Lee released a statement on Twitter last week, announcing his intention to enter the draft, noting: “I am so grateful to have been a part of this program with teammates and staff that I will call friends for life. It is bittersweet to be moving on, but just as always, Baggett Stadium will be my home.”
Drew Thorpe, Cal Poly pitcher
Projected as a potential late second-round or early third-round pick, Thorpe established himself as the Mustangs’ ace and one of the nation’s top throwers in his 2022 campaign.
Thorpe, a 6-foot-4 right-hander from Washington, Utah, posted a 10-1 record and 2.32 ERA with 149 strikeouts in his third season at Cal Poly. He earned the distinction of being Cal Poly’s first Big West Conference Pitcher of the Year in 2022.
Mock drafts have listed Thorpe as possibly being take among the Top 65 players overall.
Keith Law’s Mock Draft projection, published in The Athletic in June, has Thorpe going No. 64 in this year’s draft.
Dylan Beavers, Cal Berkeley outfielder
A left-handed hitting outfielder from Paso Robles who graduated from Mission Prep in 2020, Beavers launched 17 home runs for Cal Berkeley in his junior year in 2022. Beavers throws right-handed.
He added 50 RBIs and hit .291 in a breakout year for the Bears.
Beavers could go in the Top 65 as well, according to projections.
Law has Beavers going at No. 63 on his list.
Other local players in the mix
Another local player with draft potential, Templeton pitcher Robbie Lardner, had a standout year for the Eagles and has been mentioned as a possible draft pick.
Lardner, a 6-foot-3 left-hander, posted a 7-2 record with a 0.95 ERA. Lardner struck out 123 batters in 73 innings in his senior season.
His brother, Mac Lardner, also a Templeton grad, played baseball at Gonzaga. Mac, who’s now 24, is a minor player in the Oakland Athletics organization.
Lardner may play baseball at the junior college level if he’s not drafted this year.
It’s typical for Cal Poly to see multiple players drafted each year.
This year, players such as pitchers Dylan Villalobos and Travis Weston, who both excelled on the mound, could see themselves called during the draft, among others.
This story was originally published July 3, 2022 at 11:00 AM.
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