Two Cal Bears (Eden, Horn) selected in Day 2 of 2019 MLB Draft

Day 2 of the 2019 MLB Draft was Tuesday where rounds 3 through 10 took place.

These picks are addition to the two 1st round picks on Day 1: 1B Andrew Vaughn going 3rd overall to the Chicago White Sox and C Korey Lee going 32nd overall to the Houston Astros, the first time in Cal history that they got two first round picks in the MLB Draft.

6th Round: Toronto Blue Jays select Cameron Eden 177th overall

A big part of the 2019 Cal Baseball offense was junior centerfielder Cameron Eden at the top of the lineup. Eden was the clear 3rd best hitter on the team behind Andrew Vaughn and Korey Lee and became the 3rd Cal Bear to be selected in the 2019 MLB Draft when the Toronto Blue Jays took Eden as a shortstop in the 6th round.

Eden is 2nd on the team in batting average and on-base percentage with a slash line of 0.370/0.442/0.560 to go with 8 homers and 20 steals in 24 attempts. The junior fro Yuba City, California started 42 games as a sophomore, all at shortstop. His hitting really improved in 2019 as he raised his batting average from 0.247 to 0.370.

The signing value for a pick at this spot is $279.50k. Since the Golden Bears did not have a senior on the team, all the players drafted have the leverage to get the maximum money given the option to return to school.

7th Round: Colorado Rockies select Jared Horn 219th overall

The first non-batter drafted in the 2019 MLB Draft out of Cal Baseball is ace RHP Jared Horn. A weekend starter since his freshman season, Horn has struggled in his first two seasons before a breakthrough junior season being the de facto Cal ace.

Because head coach Mike Neu opts to use an opener and a bullpen games for Fridays and Sundays, Horn was slotted into the middle Saturday game spot. Horn thrived as he was the pitcher of record when the Cal Bears beat the top ranked UCLA team or the 3rd ranked Stanford.

For the season that was delayed by about a month due to an appendectomy, Horn posted a 6-1 record with an ERA of 1.82 and a WHIP of 0.96. While he can probably improve his strikeout numbers (just 56 in 69.1 IP), Horn was able to restrict the walks allowed to just 18. Horn did not have a great outing in his lone postseason appearance this past weekend against TCU.

I actually think Horn has a much higher ceiling than as a 7th round pick. A big time prospect out of high school, Horn opted for Cal over turning pro. Obviously, the junior right hander took a huge step forward between his sophomore and junior season. With a projectable frame and great stuff, I can see Horn dominate in his senior season and becomes a first day draft pick in the 2020 MLB Draft. We shall see what Jared Horn decides is best for his budding professional career. The typically signing bonus for a player drafted at this spot is $198.50k.

GO BEARS!