MLB Draft 2019: 172 California Kids Selected

CALIFORNIA — The 2019 MLB Draft got underway this week and 172 talented kids from California were selected. Rounds 1 and 2 were completed Monday night in Secaucus, New Jersey, with 78 players selected.

First Baseman Andrew Vaughn, from California, was among the top 10 players selected. Vaughn was selected in the first round, third overall, by the Chicago White Sox. Vaughn, who stands 6-feet-0-inches tall, hits right-handed and throws right-handed.

Here’s what the experts have to say about Andrew Vaughn:

As an undersized right-handed first baseman, Vaughn was not much of a prospect coming out of high school, but he's swung his way to prominence at Cal. He was PAC-12 Freshman of the Year in his first season, then hit .402 with 23 homers in 2018 to win the Golden Spikes Award as an underclassman, a rare feat. He's continued to hit during his Draft season, putting him in position to be one of the first players chosen in the first round.

Vaughn could very well be the best all-around hitter in this Draft class. He has a very advanced approach at the plate, one that has allowed him to walk much more than he has struck out throughout his Cal career, with a knack for barreling up the baseball. He doesn't sacrifice power as a result, showing the ability to hit the ball out to all fields, profiling as a true middle-of-the-order run producer in the future. He's a first baseman only, though he thinks he could handle third or the outfield, but should be fine at first, with decent hands and a solid arm that allowed him to pitch as a freshman.

After a relatively ordinary summer with USA Baseball, Vaughn got back to mashing baseballs during his final college season. He is very much in the conversation at the very top of the Draft as a college hitter who should be able to move quickly through a system.

In the first 10 rounds of the draft, 50 California kids were picked. Out of those 50, six were from UCLA, five attended Stanford, five were from UC Santa Barbara and three each attended USC and Fresno State.

The California players drafted within the first 10 rounds are:

1. Andrew Vaughn, California
2. Keoni Cavaco, Eastlake High School
3. Michael Toglia, UCLA
4. Ryan Jensen, Fresno State
5. Korey Lee, California
6. RYan Garcia, UCLA
7. Kyren Paris, Freedom High School
8. Chase Strumpf, UCLA
9. Kyle Stowers, Stanford
10. Andrew Dalquist, Redondo Union High School
11. Joseph Naranjo, Rueben S. Ayala High School
12. Ryan Kreidler, UCLA
13. Cody Freeman, Etiwanda High School
14. Erik Miller, Stanford
15. Glenallen Hill Jr., Santa Cruz High School
16. Andre Pallante, University of California - Irvine
17. Brandon Lewis, University of California - Irvine
18. Chris Clarke, USC
19. Colin Barber, Pleasant Valley High School
20. Evan Fitterer, Aliso Niguel High School
21. Chris Lincoln, UC Santa Barbara
22. Kellen Strahm, San Jose State
23. Garrett Frechette, Orange Lutheran High School
24. Gunner Mayer, San Joaquin Delta College
25. Ben Brecht, UC Santa Barbara
26. Jack Little, Stanford
27. Ken Waldichuk, St. Marys
28. Maverick Handley, Stanford
29. Cameron Eden, California
30. Zach Ashford, Fresno State
31. Will Matthiesen, Stanford
32. Jordan Brown, Junipero Serra High School
33. Chris Murphy, University of San Diego
34. Eric Yang, UC Santa Barbara
35. Armani Smith, UC Santa Barbara
36. Blake Sabol, USC
37. Jack Ralson, UCLA
38. Darius Vines, CSU Bakersfield
39. Jared Horn, California
40. Tevin Mitchell, UC Santa Barbara
41. Andrew Mitchel, San Jose State
42. Jeremy Ydens, UCLA
43. Austin Roberts, Sacramento State
44. Bobby Ay, Cal Poly - San Luis Obispo
45. Alec Gamboa, Fresno City College
46. Darrien Miller, Clovis High School
47. Jeff Houghtby, University of San Diego
48. McCarthy Tatum, Fresno State
49. Wyatt Hendrie, Antelope Valley College
50. C.J. Stubbs, USC

Drafted No. 1 overall by the Baltimore Orioles, Oregon State catcher Adley Rutschman joined notable past players such as Carlos Correa, Bryce Harper, Stephen Strasburg, David Price, Gerrit Cole, Justin Upton, Joe Mauer, Adrian Gonzalez, Josh Hamilton, and, of course, Alex Rodriguez to earn the distinction.

Rutschman, a switch-hitter, was the “consensus” best prospect in the draft, according to MLB.com. He can hit for average and power and knows the strike zone well, drawing many walks. He’s also “quality” on defense.

“He now becomes the face of the franchise,” MLB.com wrote.

Here are the top 10 players selected and their schools:

1. Baltimore Orioles: Adley Rutschman, catcher, Oregon State
2. Kansas City Royals: Bobby Witt Jr., shortstop, Colleyville, TX, Heritage High School
3. Chicago White Sox: Andrew Vaughn, first baseman, California
4. Miami Marlins: JJ Bleday, outfield, Vanderbilt, Nashville, TN
5. Detroit Tigers: Riley Greene, outfield, Hagerty High School, Oviedo, FL
6. San Diego Padres: CJ Abrams, shortstop, Blessed Trinity Catholic High School, Roswell, GA
7. Cincinnati Reds: Nick Lodolo, pitcher, Texas Christian, Fort Worth, TX
8. Texas Rangers: Josh Jung, third baseman, Texas Tech, Lubbock, TX
9. Atlanta Braves: Shea Langeliers, catcher, Baylor, Waco, TX
10. San Francisco Giants: Hunter Bishop, outfield, Arizona State, Tempe, AZ

The draft was to continue Tuesday afternoon with rounds three through 10, then again on Wednesday with rounds 11 through 40. MLB.com was to livestream coverage of the rounds.

Patch national staffer Dan Hampton contributed to this report.