FORT WORTH, Texas — Day two of the 2024 MLB Draft saw 240 players get selected over nine rounds and 10 of those players have ties to diamonds right here in Arizona.
OF Nick McClain drafted by Chicago White Sox
The first player to hear his name called was Arizona State Outfielder Nick McClain, who was selected by the Chicago White Sox in the third round with the 78th overall pick. McClain is originally from Tustin, California, in Orange County and originally enrolled at UCLA in 2022, but never played for the Bruins before transferring to ASU. McClain had a batting average of .327, hit 20 home runs and had 78 RBI with the Sun Devils. McClain is the sixth Top-100 draft selection from ASU in the past decade.
RHP Josh Randall drafted by Detroit Tigers
The second player with ties to Arizona who was taken off the board on Monday was former Arizona pitcher Josh Randall, who played in Tucson for two years before transferring to the University of San Diego. He was drafted by the Detroit Tigers in the third round with the 85th overall pick. Randall's top season with Arizona came in 2022, when he made 14 relief appearances and struck out 15 hitters. The righty reliever appeared in 14 games this past season with the Toreros and threw 72.1 innings. He struck out 85 batters and had an ERA of 3.73.
LHP Jackson Kent drafted by Washington Nationals
It wasn't long until another player from Arizona would hear their name called, as Arizona left-handed pitcher Jackson Kent was drafted by the Washington Nationals in the fourth round with the 108th overall pick. Kent is originally from Illinois and was the Wildcats' Friday night starter this past season, going 3-4 with a 4.08 ERA and 89 strikeouts. Kent was named to the All-Pac-12 Team. He also still holds a record at his high school as he struck out 18 batters in a game.
C Ryan Campos drafted by St. Louis Cardinals
Another player from the Grand Canyon State would be selected with the very next pick, as the St. Louis Cardinals drafted ASU catcher Ryan Campos with the 109th overall pick. Campos is originally from Mesa and played at Red Mountain High School. Campos was a four-year starter with the Mountain Lions and hit .425 with five home runs, eight triples, 25 doubles and 60 RBI. At ASU, Campos ended his career with a .369 batting average, which was the 16th-best in program history. He also hit 21 home runs and had 110 RBI over his career. He was named a third-team All-American this past season, which made Campos the 134th All-American in ASU history.
RHP Clark Candiotti drafted by San Diego Padres
Former Chaparral High School and Arizona pitcher Clark Candiotti was the next player from Arizona drafted, as he was taken by the San Diego Padres in the Compensation round after the fourth round. The Padres used the 135th overall pick to draft Candiotti, which they received after Blake Snell signed with the San Francisco Giants. Candiotti is originally from Scottsdale and is the son of D-backs broadcaster — and former MLB pitcher — Tom Candiotti. The younger Candiotti bounced around over his college career, pitching at Wichita State, Grayson County Community College, Vernon College and St. Mary's before going to Tucson. This past season with the Wildcats, Candiotti started 16 games, went 7-4 and struck out 103 batters in 95.2 innings pitched. He had a 3.39 ERA.
C/1B Nick Montgomery drafted by Atlanta Braves
ASU signee Nick Montgomery was the next player with ties to Arizona drafted on Monday. Montgomery was drafted the Atlanta Braves in the fifth round with the 161st overall pick. He was he second players with ties to Arizona selected by Atlanta, as the Braves drafted Saguaro High School pitcher Cam Caminiti in the first round on Sunday.
Montgomery, a catcher/first baseman, is from Cypress, California, a town just west of Anaheim in Orange County. He is considered one of the top high school catchers in the nation and helped lead his high school to the CIF Southern Section Baseball Championship as a junior. He also took part in the High School Home Run Derby during MLB's All-Star Weekend in 2023.
If Montgomery chooses not to sign with Atlanta, he will come to Tempe to play for the Sun Devils.
OF Ivan Brethowr drafted by Chicago Cubs
Outfielder Ivan Brethowr, a former Sun Devil who ended his career at UC-Santa Barbara, was the next selection with ties to Arizona, as he was drafted by the Chicago Cubs in the seventh round with the 212th overall pick. Originally from Olathe, Kansas, Brethowr played in 16 games at ASU before transferring to play for the Gauchos. In Tempe, he hit .290 with 2 home runs.
This past season at UCSB, Brethowr played in 50 games and had a .275 batting average with a career-high 15 home runs. He was named first-team All-Big West Conference.
UTIL Tyler Wilson drafted by New York Yankees
In the eighth round, Grand Canyon University had their first player selected, as the New York Yankees drafted utility player Tyler Wilson with the 241st overall pick. The 2024 Western Athletic Conference Player of the Year is from Chandler and played at Hamilton High School, where he hit .412 as a junior, helped lead the Huskies to a state title and ended his career ranked as the top catcher in Arizona. This past season with the 'Lopes, Wilson hit .378 with 17 home runs and 65 RBI and became the third GCU player to be named the WAC Player of the Year.
RHP Anthony Susac drafted by Texas Rangers
Later in the eighth round, another pitcher from Arizona would hear his named called: Righty Anthony "Tonko" Susac, who was drafted by the Texas Rangers with the 255th overall pick. Susac appeared in 21 games with the Wildcats this past season, started five games and even had a team-high three saves. He is originally from Sacramento, California, and was one of the top 15 right-handed pitchers in the nation in the Class of 2021.
Susac comes from a very athletic family, especially when it comes to baseball. His older sister, Sophia, won a national championship as a synchronized swimmer at Stanford.
His cousin, Daniel, was an All-American baseball player at Arizona, was selected by the Oakland A's in the first round of the 2022 MLB Draft and is currently the No. 5 prospect in the A's farm system, according to MLB Pipeline.
Another cousin, Andrew, played baseball at Oregon State and in MLB for six years. Yet another cousin, Matt, played baseball at Nevada and for the Croatian National Team. And finally, his cousin, Liz Zadro, played soccer at UCLA.
RHP Jaxon Jelkin drafted by New York Mets
And the final player with ties to Arizona drafted on Monday was former South Mountain Community College pitcher Jaxon Jelkin, who was drafted by the New York Mets in the ninth round with the 263rd overall pick. The righty is originally from Omaha, Nebraska, and transferred to Houston after playing at SMCC. He was the Opening Day starter for Houston this season, struck out six or more batters in five of his first seven starts, but missed the end of the season due to injury.
The 2024 MLB Draft resumes with the final 10 rounds on Tuesday at 11 a.m. Arizona time.
Arizona sports
The city of Phoenix is home to four major professional sports league teams; The NFL's Arizona Cardinals, NBA's Phoenix Suns, WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury and MLB's Arizona Diamondbacks.
The Cardinals have made State Farm Stadium in Glendale their home turf and the Footprint Center in downtown Phoenix is home to both the Suns and the Mercury. The Indoor Football League’s Arizona Rattlers play at Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale.
Phoenix also has a soccer team with the USL's Phoenix Rising FC, who play at Phoenix Rising FC Stadium in Phoenix.
The Valley hosts multiple major sporting events every year, including college football's Fiesta Bowl and Guaranteed Rate Bowl; the PGA Tour’s highest-attended event, the WM Phoenix Open; NASCAR events each spring and fall, including Championship Weekend in November; and Cactus League Spring Training for 15 Major League Baseball franchises.
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