Drew Beam was a key cog of Tennessee’s pitching staff on its road to a Men’s College World Series title. Now the right-hander hopes to make an impact for the up-and-coming Kansas City Royals.
Beam was one of the first selections on Day 2 of Major League Baseball’s amateur draft Monday as he was taken with the second pick of the third round at No. 76 overall by the Royals. The second day consisted of rounds three through 10.
Australian second baseman Travis Bazzana went to the Cleveland Guardians with the No. 1 overall pick Sunday.
The players selected Monday — particularly early — are still in line for a pretty good payday when they sign their first contract. The first pick of the third round was Rutgers infielder Joshua Kuroda-Grauer, by the Athletics, and the expected slot value for the No. 75 selection is just over $1 million.
College prospects were once again much more popular with MLB teams compared with their prep counterparts, with 23 players in the third round attending four-year schools while six were drafted out of high school. In the fourth round, 27 out of the 30 selections came from colleges.
Wake Forest had two more players — pitchers Josh Hartle and Michael Massey — selected Monday after three Demon Deacons were taken in the first round. Beam was one of eight Tennessee players selected through the draft’s first two days.
Beam was the workhorse for Tennessee’s pitching staff with a 9-2 record and 4.22 ERA, striking out 99 batters over a team-high 102⅓ innings. He gave up just two runs over nine innings in two appearances at the College World Series.
The Royals took another Tennessee pitcher, AJ Causey, in the fifth round.
It’s not uncommon for MLB teams to unearth star players in the later rounds of the draft. Guardians outfielder Steven Kwan — who will bat leadoff for the American League in Tuesday’s All-Star Game — was taken in the fifth round of the 2018 draft out of Oregon State. Rangers second baseman Marcus Semien will start at second base for the AL and was a sixth-round selection in the 2011 draft from Cal.
Seattle added another intriguing prospect by selecting Campbell two-way player Grant Knipp in the sixth round. Knipp hit 18 homers for the Camels and throws in the mid-90s off the mound.
The Mariners already took switch-pitcher Jurrangelo Cijntje in the first round. Cijntje throws low-90s left-handed and can reach high-90s right-handed.
The Los Angeles Angels selected 6-foot-11 Miami (Ohio) pitcher Peyton Olejnik in the seventh round. If he makes the big leagues, he’s the same height as pitchers Jon Rauch and Sean Hjelle, who are the tallest players in MLB history.
The Houston Astros selected South Alabama outfielder Joseph Sullivan in the seventh round. Sullivan is the grandson of the 1971 Heisman Trophy winner Pat Sullivan, who played at Auburn.
The final day of the draft is on Tuesday with rounds 11 through 20.