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Rice Baseball: Astros select Parker Smith in 4th Round of MLB Draft

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A Houston native, Rice baseball hurler Parker Smith has been selected in the fourth round of the 2024 MLB Draft by the Houston Astros.

Parker Smith won’t have to travel to continue his baseball journey. The Rice baseball staff ace was selected in the fourth round of the 2024 MLB Draft by the Houston Astros on Monday. He became the highest Owl drafted since Trei Cruz went in the third round to the Detroit Tigers in 2020 and a fifth top-five round selection for the program in the past six years.

Smith paced the Owls on the mound for each of the last two seasons, making 32 consecutive starts over that time. Smith was an All-Conference selection in Conference USA in 2023. He followed that up by finishing in the top 10 in the American in strikeouts () and ERA this past season.

Smith is the 13th Rice player drafted by the Astros. Garrett Gayle was the most recent South Main to Crawford Street selection, a 12th-round pick by the Astros in 2012.

Rice Baseball MLB Draft selections (last 10 years)

Player Draft Year Team Round
Parker Smith 2024 Astros 4
Justin Long 2023 Braves 7
Hayden Durke 2023 Diamondbacks 13
Matthew Linskey 2023 Diamondbacks 16
Roel Garcia 2022 Rays 14
Trei Cruz 2020 Tigers 3
Matt Canterino 2019 Twins 2
Evan Kravetz 2019 Reds 5
Garrett Gayle 2019 Astros 12
Roel Garcia 2019 Blue Jays 27
Trei Cruz 2019 Nationals 37
Addison Moss 2019 Rays 37
Ford Proctor 2018 Rays 3
Ricky Salinas 2018 Reds 25
Cody Staab 2018 Marines 30
Glenn Otto 2017 Yankees 5
Dane Myers 2017 Tigers 6
Tristan Gray 2017 Pirates 13
Jon Duplantier 2016 Diamondbacks 3
Blake Fox 2016 Brewers 10
Jordan Stephens 2015 White Sox 5
Leon Byrd 2015 Rangers 10
Kevin McCanna 2015 Astros 13
Austin Orewiler 2015 Reds 14
Matt Ditman 2015 Roayls 16
John Clay Reeves 2015 Nationals 20
John Williamson 2015 Cubs 23
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Rice Baseball: Rays draft Roel Garcia in 14th Round of MLB Draft

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After completing his sixth season as a collegiate, Rice baseball pitcher Roel Garcia was selected in the 14th Round of the MLB Draft by the Rays.

Rice baseball hurler Roel Garcia served primarily as a reliever during the 2022 season, one of the best statistical campaigns of his career. He posted career-best marks in ERA (4.73), innings (45.2), strike outs (50) and appearances (16).

The strong year, combined with impressive arm talent, was enough to earn him a selection in the 2022 MLB Draft. He came off the board with the 434th overall pick in the 14th Round. He was one of 10 Conference USA players selected during the draft and the only Owl selected.

Garcia is the first Owl drafted since Trei Cruz, selected in the third round by the Tigers in 2020. Although Rice saw no players selected in the 2021 MLB Draft, that proved to be an outlier. The Owls have produced quite a lengthy list of draftees in recent years, even without perennial trips to Omaha.

Rice Baseball MLB Draft selections (last 10 years)

Player Draft Year Round
Roel Garcia 2022 14
Trei Cruz 2020 3
Matt Canterino 2019 2
Evan Kravetz 2019 5
Garrett Gayle 2019 12
Roel Garcia 2019 27
Trei Cruz 2019 37
Addison Moss 2019 37
Ford Proctor 2018 3
Ricky Salinas 2018 25
Cody Staab 2018 30
Glenn Otto 2017 5
Dane Myers 2017 6
Tristan Gray 2017 13
Jon Duplantier 2016 3
Blake Fox 2016 10
Jordan Stephens 2015 5
Leon Byrd 2015 10
Kevin McCanna 2015 13
Austin Orewiler 2015 14
Matt Ditman 2015 16
John Clay Reeves 2015 20
John Williamson 2015 23
Zech Lemond 2014 3
Skyler Ewing 2014 6
Caleb Smith 2014 15
Matt Ditman 2014 15
Shane Hoelscher 2014 17
Chase McDowell 2014 26
Austin Kubitza 2013 4
Michael Ratterree 2013 10
John Simms 2013 11
Christian Stringer 2013 16
Geoff Perrott 2013 17
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Rice Baseball: 2020 MLB Owls update – August 20

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The 2020 MLB season is in full swing and Rice baseball alums are having great years. Here’s the latest from the MLB Owls from this week.

Jon Duplantier is in the Arizona Diamondbacks’ player pool but is currently rehabbing. There hasn’t been a clear indication yet as to when he might rejoin the team. Here are updates on the three former Rice baseball alums currently active.

Anthony Rendon – Los Angeles Angels

It took Rendon a while to get going, but once he was on, the balls went flying off his bat. From August 10 to August 16, a span of six games, Rendon launched five home runs and tallied seven RBI. His OPS during that stretch was an unbelievable 1.738. Somehow the Angels managed to go 2-4 during those games, but his work with the bat was not to blame.

Through August 20, Rendon is hitting .289 with 10 extra-base hits, 20 walks and 18 strikeouts. His OPS is 1.028.

Tyler Duffey – Minnesota Twins

It’s been a phenomenal start to the 2920 season for Tyler Duffey, and his rapid ascent has not gone unnoticed. National outlets are picking up his feel-good story, including The Athletic ($) who published an excellent feature on the former Rice baseball hurler’s journey up til now.

The story is worth reading, but this quote from manager Rocco Baldelli sums it up quite nicely:

“He went out there and made incredible adjustments … and turned himself into one of the best relievers in the game.”

This week, Duffey gave up his first run in his tenth inning of work.

Through August 20, Duffey has a 0.90 ERA with a .500 WHIP. He’s averaging 10.8 strikeouts per nine innings.

Brock Holt – Milwaukee Brewers

Widely regarded as the kind of guy you want to have in your clubhouse, Holt seems to be making the best of a tough start at the plate. So far this season there have been snippets of him lifting up his teammates and having a good laugh in the midst of the challenging first few weeks.

For one, here’s his reaction after grounding into a double play this past week.

Through August 20, Holt has three hits in 27 at bats. He has three walks and nine strikeouts.

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MLB Draft: Trei Cruz selected by Detroit Tigers in Third Round

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Former Rice baseball shortstop Trei Cruz has been selected in the 2020 MLB Draft. Like his father and grandfather before him, Trei will play pro ball.

Trei Cruz entered the 2020 MLB Draft with the chance to accomplish the rare feat. Being selected would earn him the distinction of becoming a third-generation Major Leaguer. Now, like his father Jose Cruz Jr. before him and his grandfather Jose Cruz Sr. before him, Trei will be a professional baseball player. The shortened draft did not seem to limit Cruz, who fulfilled expectations, hearing his name called on the second day of the two-day event.

His opportunity will come as a member of the Detroit Tigers’ minor league system after he was selected by the Tigers with the 73rd pick (Round 3) in the 2020 MLB Draft. Trei was previously selected in the 35th Round by the Astros in the 2017 draft and in the 37th Round by the Nationals in the 2019 draft. Like his number in the sequence of family pros, the third time should be the charm.

His father, Cruz Jr., was selected in the first round by the Seattle Mariners in the 1995 amateur draft. He made his debut two years later in 1997.

Listen: Anthony Rendon joins The Roost Podcast to talk delayed season and more

Trei Cruz leaves Rice baseball with a robust collection of stat lines. He slashed .296/.406/.484, improving in all three measures from his freshman season in 2018 to the Owls’ abbreviated 2020 campaign. Trei also holds the distinction of being second all-time in RBI in a single game at Rice. He drove in nine against Rhode Island in 2019. The record, 10, belongs to his father.

Rice baseball will miss Trei Cruz, but won’t be without his bloodline just yet. His brother, Antonio still plays for the Owls. He was a sophomore this past season.

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Rice Baseball: What to expect for the Owls in 2020 MLB Draft

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Rice Baseball should have at least one player selected in the 2020 MLB Draft. Here’s what to expect from the Owls and how to watch the draft this week.

The 2020 MLB Draft is going to be different in more ways than one. First, it’s typically aligned with the end of the college baseball season which came to a screeching halt in mid-March. Second, and most importantly, it’s only five rounds long. Rice baseball had six players selected in the 2019 Draft, but that came over the span of 40 rounds.

How to Watch the 2020 MLB Draft

Round 1

Dates: Wednesday, June 10
Times: 7 p.m. ET
TV: MLB Network / ESPN
Picks: 1-37

Rounds 2-5

Dates:  Thursday, June 11
Times: 5 p.m. ET
TV: MLB Network / ESPN2
Picks: 38-160

What to expect for Rice Baseball

The abridged nature of the draft makes it increasingly likely that few Owls, if any, will hear their names called this week. Standout shortstop Trei Cruz is the only player that most experts believe will be selected. D1 Baseball rated him as the No. 35 college prospect ($) in the draft. Most mock drafts in recent weeks have projected him as a Day 2 selection.

With so few selections, teams will be less inclined to gamble than they would have been in a 40 round draft. Less high school prospects will be taken with more pro-ready college players available. Players with injury concerns, like Rice pitcher Roel Garcia, will see their draft chances lessened from where they might have stood in a traditional year.

Listen: Anthony Rendon joins The Roost Podcast to talk delayed season and more

Players who aren’t drafted are allowed to sign for a reduced bonus. There will be a handful of prospects that opt to go that route, but many will choose to return to college for the upcoming season. That’s going to make the 2021 Draft class impressive.

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