These central San Joaquin Valley baseball players could get selected in the MLB draft
.jpg "Jamal O’Guinn (Buchanan/USC) and Holden Powell (Mt. Whitney/UCLA) could get selected in the Major League Baseball draft this week.")
When the Major League Baseball draft gets underway this week, Jamal O’Guinn (Buchanan/USC) and Holden Powell (Mt. Whitney/UCLA) could possibly see their names flash on the television screen.
The MLB draft begins at 4 p.m. Wednesday on MLB Network and ESPN with the first 37 picks.
The two-day draft will end Thursday (2 p.m., MLB Network/ESPN2) with the second through fifth rounds.
Just 160 picks will be made this year instead of the normal 40 rounds because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Teams can also sign an unlimited number of undrafted free agents for $20,000.
Of the top 200 prospects MLB.com posted, Powell is listed at 134 and O’Guinn at 183.
O’Guinn said he felt the 2020 season would help his draft stock, but when the pandemic hit the US, he accepted what happened He is “excited” and will “wait and see what happens” in the draft.
Before the shortened season, the junior infielder/outfielder started 14 of 15 games and had a .378 batting average — second on the team and seventh in the Pac-12.
O’Guinn said if he’s not drafted, he’ll continue his collegiate career with two years of eligibility. The NCAA granted spring athletes an extra year for time missed because of COVID-19.
Regardless of what happens this week, O’Guinn said he is taking a patient approach.
“When Thursday rolls around, there will be a lot of emotion and excitement,” he said. “More excited than anything. I’m not going to put too much pressure on myself, just to be able to be in the talks of drafting, it’s always a good situation to be in.”
Powell, meanwhile, made eight appearances out of the bullpen and had three saves with a 0.00 ERA and 20 strikeouts in 9.1 innings.
The junior had some accolades at UCLA: two-time All-American, 2019 NCBWA Stopper of the Year and freshman All-American 2019 All-Pac-12 team.
