All three players are expected to sign and begin their professional baseball careers.
The first two rounds of the 2022 MLB Draft held on Sunday were consequential for the Texas Longhorns with the Arizona Diamondbacks selecting junior first baseman Ivan Melendez in the second round with the No. 43 overall pick, two selections after infield/pitcher signee Cutter Coffey was taken off the board at No. 41 overall by the Boston Red Sox. Outfielder signee Henry Bolte was also selected in the second round with the No. 56 overall pick by the Oakland Athletics.
For Melendez, betting on himself paid off after he was picked in the 16th round last season by the Florida Marlins. By returning to the Forty Acres, Melendez was able to prove himself as a strong defensive first baseman and turned in one of the best seasons by a hitter in program history, sweeping the national player of the year awards and becoming the Longhorns’ first Golden Spikes Award winner. The El Paso product hit .387 and led the nation with a program-record 32 home runs, 94 RBI, an .863 slugging percentage, and 214 total bases.
The slot value of the No. 43 is over $1.8 million and while it’s possible that Melendez could sign for less, there’s no question that he earned every bit of it with his outstanding season in 2022.
Coffey, a right-handed hitter who hails from Bakersfield (Calif.) Liberty, is variously considered a shortstop or third baseman who also pitched in high school and was ranked as the No. 105 player in the MLB Draft Prospect List from MLB.com. Coffey hit .442 with 12 home runs as a senior. With Coffey going so much higher than his ranking and the slot value sitting at $1.9 million for the No. 41 pick, the California product is a strong bet to sign for under the slot value.
A right-handed hitter from Palo Alto (Calif.), Bolte was the No. 40 prospect overall thanks to his combination of raw power and pure speed. The No. 56 pick has a slot value of $1.3 million and the local product should not be difficult to sign with the Athletics.
Rounds 3-10 of the draft continue on Monday starting at 1 p.m. Central.
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