Tulane Green Wave Star Connor Rasmussen's Path To MLB Draft

This year the Green Wave managed to have three players selected in the MLB draft.

The first was star pitcher Michael Lombardi, who was taken in the second round with the 61st pick by the Kansas City Royals.

Then, in the 12th round with the 363rd pick the Arizona Diamondbacks took hard-throwing lefty, Tayler Montiel.

Following 95 picks later in the 15th round, with the 458th pick, the Kansas City Royals took Tulane's star second baseman Connor Rasmussen.

Rasmussen began his college career at East Carolina. He received only 18 at-bats and struggled to find success, batting .111 for the Pirates. So Rasmussen decided to transfer within the AAC, taking his talents to the Green Wave.

A difficult season at East Carolina did not deter Rasmussen when he arrived in New Orleans. He quickly found success at Tulane, hitting .310 with seven home runs and 51 RBIs in his sophomore season.

This year, Rasmussen improved his batting average to .333 while still hitting five home runs and knocking in a team-leading 45 RBIs. He led the team in hits with 71 on the year. His performance this season earned him a spot on the AAC All-Conference First Team. The year before, he was on the AAC All-Conference Second team.

In the last two seasons, Rasmussen has played in the last 120 games for Tulane, starting in 119 of them.

Rasmussen's consistent reliability will serve him well in any level of baseball, including the MLB.

The Kansas City Royals drafted two Green Wave players this year. And while Lombardi certainly had more of the buzz around him, drafting a consistent player and effective hitter in Rasmussen in a later round has the potential to be a great value pick for the Royals.

Because wherever Rasmussen goes, he is capable of making an impact.

For more Tulane news, head over to Tulane Green Wave On SI.