Texas Longhorns Shortstop Jalin Flores Taken in MLB Draft

The Texas Longhorns experienced a relatively quiet first day of the 2025 MLB Draft on Sunday, as only two commits from the 2025 class, Gavin Fien and Kayson Cunningham, were drafted. Joining them and having his name called was superstar right fielder Max Belyeu, as he was taken by the Colorado Rockies.

Monday, however, was a different story as multiple Longhorns were drafted. First, left-handed pitcher Jared Spencer was taken in the 11th round by the Toronto Blue Jays with the No. 322 overall pick. Then just eight picks later another Texas great was taken, with the St. Louis Cardinals using the No. 330 overall pick to select shortstop Jalin Flores.

Flores was draft eligible following the 2024 season and was fresh off a breakout campaign, however he ultimately opted to return and run it back for one more ride. While he did have a bit of a down season compared to his standards from the year prior, the star shortstop was a key piece of the lineup for the Longhorns.

After a strong career with the Longhorns, Flores will get set to join the Cardinals

There were certainly times where Flores looked the star that he could be. Consistently placed in the top half of the lineup, when he was on he was absolutely dialed in. This can be seen in his team-high 18 doubles, 54 RBI and a whopping 115 total bases.

However, his numbers elsewhere saw a decline in production. His slash line plummeted from .340/.408/.656 to a .239/.317/.491. Unfortunately for Flores, and the Longhorns as a result, his struggles at the plate were a microcosm of an overall team struggle in 2025.

Even though he scuffled quite a bit at the plate, his defense remained as steady as ever in the middle of the diamond. Routinely one would tune into a Texas game and see the shortstop ranging in both directions, diving for grounders and popping up to deliver absolute strikes to first base to nail the base runner.

Ultimately, while Flores did not have the season he would have hoped for when he decided to return, he leaves The Forty Acres as one of the top sluggers to ever don the burnt orange and white. An absolute masher at UFCU Disch-Falk Field, the shortstop finished his career with the fifth-most home runs in program history (35) while driving in a blistering 133 runs in his three seasons.