Arizona Wildcats Selected in Day Two of the MLB Draft

As day two of the 2018 MLB Draft, a few Arizona Wildcats were selected by Major League ball clubs, and now face some very tough decisions.

Always tough to follow Arizona Baseball in the off-season, as one of the nations best programs is constantly purged by the MLB Draft. On day two of the draft, quite a few Arizona Wildcats were selected yet again!

It’s the good and the bad with college baseball! While it’s great to see the continued growth of the Arizona Baseball program at the professional level, the Wildcats saw quite a few players today that will have big decisions.

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As day one concluded, no current Wildcats were taken in the first, two rounds, or the compensation rounds. Arizona did however, have two commits for 2018 get selected with the 16th and 19th pick overall.

Would-be freshmen Matthew Liberatore and Nolan Gorman were selected in the first round on Monday. Matt will be heading to Tampa Bay, while Nolan will play ball with the St. Louis organization. Both will likely forego their collegiate careers.

On day two, Arizona Baseball got a lot of action, as it didn’t take long on Tuesday afternoon, before the first Wildcat was selected.

Finally, in the fourth round of the 2018 MLB Draft, Arizona junior outfielder, Alfonso Rivas, was selected 113th overall to the Oakland Athletics!

Rivas led all Wildcat batters with a .347 batting average, hitting seven home runs, and batting in 52 RBI’s. Additionally, he also had a very respectable glove in the outfield, averaging a .987 fielding percentage, accounting for just six errors on the year!

Nearly 50 picks later, it was Cody Deason’s turn! The junior, ace pitcher for the Wildcats was picked up by the Houston Astros in the fifth round with the 162nd pick overall!

Deason was typically Arizona’s day one starter, and his production surely helped the Wildcats this year. The junior held a 6-5 record, with just a 2.87 ERA. Arizona’s ace hurler also threw for 84 strikeouts in 91 innings, while holding opposing batters to just a .216 batting average. Deason also had the lone, complete game for the Wildcats.

12 picks later, the Pittsburgh Pirates were on the clock, and decided to take junior Arizona pitcher, Michael Flynn! He would be selected 174th overall, going in the sixth round of the draft!

Flynn pitched very well for Arizona, essentially being the Wildcats’ No. 2 guy in the rotation. The junior pitcher had a very respectable season, finishing with a 6-5 record, with a 4.89 ERA. Flynn would also finish the year with 72 strikeouts on 73 and two-thirds innings pitched.

Next up would be Arizona catcher Cesar Salazar and reliever Tylor Megill who would be selected in the draft.

Salazar would join Deason in heading to Houston, where interestingly enough, they both will join former Wildcat, J.J. Matijevic in the Astros’ organization. Salazar would be selected in the seventh round with the 222nd overall pick!

Megill was selected by the New York Mets in the eighth round with the 230th overall pick!

Salazar will most likely take his contract and forego his senior season, which will be a huge blow to the Cats! Cesar had a huge impact from the plate, batting .339 with four home runs and 42 RBI’s. Even more challenging to replace, is his defense. The junior backstop had a .991 fielding percentage, throwing out 17 batters trying to steal.

Megill who was a senior also had a big impact in the bullpen for Arizona. Megill a former junior college player, joined the Wildcats in 2017 and has been a pleasant surprise since.

This past season, Megill compiled a 1-3 record, surrendering just a 4.68 ERA. Arizona’s reliever would also show great promise, striking out 38 batters in just 32 and two-thirds innings pitched.

Finally in the 10th round with the 296th overall selection in the draft, the Toronto Blue Jays drafted Cal Stevenson!

Stevenson a transfer from Nevada has had a big role with the Wildcats the last two years. The senior was a valuable piece to Arizona’s roster, batting a very respectable .293 from the plate, with one home run and 26 RBI’s.

Perhaps most impressive was his glove! The senior had a .992 fielding percentage, accounting for just one error on the entire season, with 117 putouts!

All these selections certainly make it tough for Arizona heading into 2019. Junior’s Deason, Salazar, Rivas and Deason will all likely accept their offers from their respective clubs and won’t return for next season.

Additionally, the Wildcats took a big hit with Liberatore and Gorman being selected. That’s quite the loss!

Head coach Jay Johnson will definitely have to be smart and active about who can possibly still bring in to play next season! The bright side? There is a lot of young talent returning, and this off-season will surely be exciting!

Must Read: More on Arizona Baseball

At Zona Zealots, we are happy for the Wildcats that were selected, and wish them the best as they pursue their professional careers! Bear Down, Arizona!