This week, the Major League Baseball Draft was held in Arlington, Texas as part of the All-Star festivities. Four Texas Tech baseball players heard their names called over the three-day event meaning that the program has had at least one player drafted every year since 1987.
While no Red Raiders went off the board on day, one, a pair were taken on the second day of the draft. Kevin Bazzell was the first Red Raider to be drafted going to the Washington Nationals in the third round.
The catcher from Rockwall, Texas has spent the last two years in Lubbock hitting .330 with 16 homers and 96 RBI in total. In 2023 he earned Freshman All-American honors by batting .348 and mashing 10 homers and 24 doubles. This past season, he hit .306 with six homers and 32 RBI.
Cade McGee landed with the St. Louis Cardinals in the ninth round. Spending his sophomore season with Tech after playing for Gonzaga in 2023, the infielder hit .282 while leading Tech in home runs (15), RBIs (55), on-base percentage (.450), and walks (37) in 2024.
On day three of the draft, pitcher Kyle Robinson was taken in the 11th round by the Oakland Athletics. Utilized mostly as Tech's Friday night starter in 2024, he posted a 5.09 ERA, going 4-7 with 79 strikeouts in 76 innings.
In 2023, as a sophomore, he was primarily a reliever going 1-1 with a 5.36 ERA. However, he did make five starts that season including one in the NCAA Tournament against No. 2 overall seed Florida.
The last Red Raider taken this year was infielder Austin Green. The Diana, Texas native lasted until the 14th round when he was selected by the New York Yankees.
During his 110 career games with Tech, Green has made 105 starts. He's a career .304 hitter who hit .322 in 2024 with eight homers and 45 RBI.
Now, just because each of these players was taken in the draft, it doesn't necessarily mean their Red Raider careers are over. Being as all have eligibility remaining, they have until July 30 to decide if they are going to sign a contract with the MLB team that drafted them or return to the NCAA ranks.