Two UCLA Signees Selected in the First Two Rounds of MLB Draft

In last year’s MLB Draft, UCLA head coach John Savage saw his recruiting class get decimated when Bruin signee Mickey Moniak was selected 1st overall by the Philadelphia Phillies and Blake Rutherford was selected 18th overall by the Yankees.

This year, UCLA signee Hunter Greene from Notre Dame HS in Sherman Oaks was the second overall pick of the Cincinnati Reds.

Greene is one of a handful of legitimate two-way players in this year’s draft. In high school, he excelled as both a pitcher and a shortstop.

The Reds have selected him as a pitcher. So, if they see him as a pitcher, but he would rather play short, he could go unsigned and either enroll at UCLA or play at a community college for a year and re-enter the draft next year.

While Greene was the only UCLA commit to be drafted in the first round tonight, Huntington Beach RHP/C Hagen Danner, another legit two-way player, was selected as a catcher in the second round with the 61st pick overall by the Toronto Blue Jays.

Danner’s selection may by low enough to bring him to Westwood in the Fall, but, the 61st pick slots in at a slot signing value of approximately $1 million. So, it will likely come down to whether Danner prefers to pitch or catch.

But, for now, Bruin baseball fans can only wait and see what happens with these two prized recruits.


Go Bruins