Several Sun Devils Get Selected in MLB Draft

Originally, Compton was a two-way player in high school, but after being out with Tommy John surgery, it shifted his priorities toward the outfield and using his powerful bat as a designated hitter.

He had an exceptionally strong freshman season, where not only did he hit .354 with 14 home runs and 51 RBIs, but he collected the Pac-12 Freshman of the Year award.

In the third round, the Detroit Tigers selected left-hand pitcher Ben Jacobs.

Jacobs started his collegiate career at UCLA before transitioning over to the desert. In his two seasons in Tempe, he compiled an 11-7 record, with 222 strikeouts and a collective 4.85 ERA.

Tigers assistant general manager Rob Metzler seems to think Jacobs has starter potential:

“He’s an athletic left-hander with a good body and a really good foundational fastball that we think we’re going to be able to build a starter’s repertoire around.”

In the sixth round, right-hander Lucas Kelly heads from the desert to the Emerald City, getting taken by the Seattle Mariners, who already walked away with one of baseball’s top pitching prospects in Kade Anderson.

There’s a strong chance Kelly ends up being a reliever, since he spent his freshman year as one, with a fastball that goes up to 99 mph.

In the eighth round, the impossible came true. A Devil turned into an Angel.

Outfielder Isaiah Jackson is coming off his best season as a student, where he hit .310 and recorded more home runs than he did in his first two seasons combined – 18.

Not only that, he’s a quality fielder, which can certainly help his case rise up in the ranks.

Right-hand pitcher Jack Martinez won’t be going very far, as the Arizona Diamondbacks took him in the eighth round.

In his lone season at ASU, his ERA struggled, but he can still throw hard and has mastered the spin on his breaking ball. The one thing he needs to work on is his control.

Three picks later, second baseman Kyle Walker was selected by the Houston Astros.

Walker is short and athletic, stealing 22 bases last season and hitting a tremendous .352. He should be a solid addition to the 'Stros.

The Cincinnati Reds may have gotten one of the steals in the draft, taking outfielder Kien Vu in the ninth round.

Like Walker, Vu is a superstar athlete and once set the school record for most stolen bases in a game with six.

Last season, he hit .354, which was surprisingly a step back from when he hit .413.

Staying in the ninth round, right-hand hurler Will Koger was selected by the San Diego Padres.

Koger was a high recruit coming out of high school and spent most of his college career with the University of Louisville. However, every season, his ERA kept getting higher and higher. Perhaps being in an MLB farm system will help him develop at a higher level.

Finally, shortstop and third baseman Matt King was selected in the 10th round by the Pittsburgh Pirates.

King had a strong closing season to his career, where he hit a career-high .403 average.

Needless to say, even though last season ended in disappointing fashion, there’s no doubt that Willie Bloomquist is building a solid program on the diamond.

And now, there’s even more potential with slugger Dean Toigo coming to Tempe from UNLV. Toigo was the leading award winner of the Mountain West and brutalized his competition, including when he played ASU.

But now that he’s on this side of the desert, can he add to the MLB pipeline?

Please follow us on X when you click right here and let us know your thoughts on ASU's MLB Draft Class!