Two Aztecs Selected in MLB Draft
The Aztecs have had multiple players selected in the Major League Baseball Draft in each of the last four years.
Two San Diego State University baseball players are in the 2020 Major League Baseball Draft, with third baseman/relief pitcher Casey Schmitt chosen by the San Francisco Giants in the second round with the 49th overall pick and shortstop Anthony Walters taken by the New York Mets in the third round with the 91st pick overall.
Completed Thursday, the selections give the Aztecs 221 MLB draft choices dating back to 1965 and 23 over the last six years. In addition, Schmitt becomes the highest SDSU player drafted since Stephen Strasburg was chosen by the Washington Nationals with the No. 1 overall pick in 2009.
Schmitt and Walters' selections mark the first time SDSU has had two players chosen in the first 100 picks of the MLB Draft since 2002.
As the Aztecs' starting third baseman, Schmitt finished among the Mountain West leaders in several categories during the 2020 campaign, including batting average (.323), hits (20), slugging percentage (.452) and on-base percentage (.386).
Schmitt, who received third-team All-America recognition from Collegiate Baseball magazine, also tied for the national lead with six saves in eight relief appearances on the mound, compiling a 3.75 ERA and 10 strikeouts in 12.0 innings. With his effort, the Eastlake High alumnus climbed into fourth place on the school's all-time list with 23 career saves.
A transfer from Mount San Antonio College in Walnut, California, Walters started all 16 games during an abbreviated 2020 campaign, hitting .271 with one homer, eight runs batted in and eight runs scored. At the shortstop position, he led the Aztecs with 35 assists and fielded a team-best eight double plays.
After it was picked for a first-place finish in the Mountain West Conference preseason poll, SDSU posted a 10-6 record in its first 16 games of the shortened 2020 campaign. The Aztecs defeated a trio of ranked teams in No. 11 Oklahoma, No. 17 Long Beach State and No. 24 Cal State Fullerton to go with victories over recent national champions Coastal Carolina (2016) and Oregon State (2018, twice).
