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Four Ducks Selected in 2021 MLB Draft

Originally posted on FanNation Ducks Digest
By Dylan Reubenking | Last updated 7/13/21

Four Oregon Ducks were selected in the 2021 MLB First-Year Player Draft. Three Ducks were taken on the second day of the draft on Monday, and one more was selected on Tuesday.

Sophomore outfielder and reigning Pac-12 Player of the Year Aaron Zavala was drafted by the Texas Rangers with the second pick of the second round (38th overall). Zavala is the highest-drafted Oregon position player in the modern era and the third-highest draft pick overall during the same time period — Tyler Anderson (2011) and David Peterson (2017) were drafted in the first round.

In a Conference full of talented players, Zavala was the second player from the conference taken in the draft, and his numbers from last season explain why. He finished second in the conference in batting average (.392), first in on-base percentage (.525), and sixth in slugging percentage (.628).

Zavala also recorded nine home runs, 38 runs batted in, a league-high 50 walks, and 14 doubles en route to being named a consensus All-American and First-Team All-Pac-12 selection.

Junior pitcher and Eugene native Robert Ahlstrom was selected by the New York Yankees in the seventh round (213th overall), a longtime dream for the Ducks' ace.

Ahlstrom was unstoppable in his junior season, pacing the Pac-12 with a 2.50 ERA and nine wins in 14 appearances. He struck out 92 batters and walked 16 while allowing a measly .231 opponent batting average.

Perhaps the lefty's best performance of his career came in the Eugene Regional against Gonzaga, when he pitched a career-best eight innings, striking out six and allowing three runs in the Ducks' 7-3 win.

The Colorado Rockies selected junior pitcher Cullen Kafka in the ninth round (260th overall). The Ducks have had a history of sending pitchers to Colorado, as Kafka is the third Ducks pitcher to be drafted by the Rockies behind Eric Stavert and Tyler Anderson.

Kafka had his best season in 2021, setting career highs across the board in his 15 appearances. He put up a 3.00 earned run average while striking out 84 batters over 78.0 innings.

The Walnut Creek native finished his career with 195 strikeouts and in 50 career games, he recorded a 4.75 ERA and a 13-11 record.

The Oakland Athletics drafted junior relief pitcher Hunter Breault in the 20th round (608th overall) on the final day of the draft. This marks the fifth time in program history that Oregon has seen three pitchers get drafted within the first 20 rounds.

Breault has only pitched a fraction of the innings that Ahlstrom and Kafka have pitched, but he has been one of the most effective relievers the Ducks have had. Over his four-year career, he appeared in 50 games, striking out 44 batters, walking 23, and logging a 4.68 ERA in 57.2 innings pitched.

He was well on his way to a dominant season in 2020 before the COVID-19 pandemic cut the season short. He did not allow an earned run in 9.2 innings over seven appearances, and opposing batters hit just .152 against him.

This article first appeared on FanNation Ducks Digest and was syndicated with permission.

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