All the Arizona-linked players selected in the 2021 MLB Draft
Jul 12, 2021, 12:23 PM | Updated: Jul 13, 2021, 1:53 pm
Arizona's Ryan Holgate fields a hit by Vanderbilt's Dominic Keegan during the first inning of a baseball game in the NCAA College World Series on Saturday, June 19, 2021, in Omaha, Neb. (AP Photo/Rebecca S. Gratz)
(AP Photo/Rebecca S. Gratz)
It was the Arizona State Sun Devils who were most well-represented of the state universities in last year’s MLB Draft. ASU infielder Spencer Torkelson went first overall to the Detroit Tigers, and the five total Sun Devils being selected in the first four rounds made for a program record.
But in 2021, it’s all about the rival Arizona Wildcats.
Wildcats outfielder Ryan Holgate was the first of three outfielders taken early Monday, the second day of the draft. He was a competitive balance round B pick who landed with the St. Louis Cardinals.
Teammates Branden Boissiere and Donta’ Williams were off the board in the third and fourth rounds, respectively.
And the first Arizona-linked player drafted was Desert Mountain High School infielder Wes Kath, who went 57th overall (second round) to the Chicago White Sox.
Below is a running tally of other Arizona high school and college players taken in the 2021 MLB Draft.
Arizona Wildcats
Competitive balance round B (70th overall) — OF Ryan Holgate, St. Louis Cardinals
Round 3 (82nd overall) — OF Branden Boissiere, Washington Nationals
Round 4 (106th overall) — OF Donta’ Williams, Baltimore Orioles
Round 9 (275th overall) — LHP Gil Luna, Chicago White Sox
Round 11 (321st overall) — RHP Chase Silseth, Los Angeles Angels
Round 13 (388th overall) — 2B Kobe Kato, Houston Astros
Round 18 (547th overall) — RHP Austin Smith, Atlanta Braves
Arizona State Sun Devils
Round 8 (248th overall) — SS Drew Swift, Oakland A’s
Round 14 (413th overall) — LHP Erik Tolman, Washington Nationals
Round 17 (509th overall) — LHP Justin Fall, Miami Marlins
Round 17 (512th overall) — LHP Cooper Benson, Toronto Blue Jays
Round 17 (516th overall) — RHP Tyler Thornton, Cincinnati Reds
Grand Canyon Antelopes
Round 14 (408th overall) — Grand Canyon SS Channy Ortiz, Arizona Diamondbacks
Round 14 (424th overall) — Grand Canyon RHP Frankie Scalzo, Chicago Cubs
Round 14 (429th overall) — Grand Canyon RHP Pierson Ohl, Minnesota Twins
Arizona colleges
Round 6 (169th overall) — Central Arizona College INF Dayton Dooney, Kansas City Royals
Round 9 (266th overall) — Central Arizona College RHP Mat Olsen, San Francisco Giants
Round 12 (372nd overall) — South Mountain Community College LHP Ronan Kopp, Los Angeles Dodgers
Round 18 (535th overall) — Benedictine University (Mesa) RHP Malik Binns, Philadelphia Phillies
Round 20 (585th overall) — Central Arizona College OF J.D. McLaughlin, Detroit Tigers
Arizona high schools
Round 2 (57th overall) — Desert Mountain 3B Wes Kath, Chicago White Sox
Round 3 (92nd overall) — Hamilton LHP Brock Selvidge, New York Yankees
Round 19 (574th overall) — RHP Daniel Avitia, Chicago Cubs
