NEW YORK – UCLA right-handed pitcher Jon Olsen, outfielder Daniel Amaral and outfielder Jeremy Ydens were each selected on the final day of the 2018 Major League Baseball Draft on Wednesday. Olsen was taken 364th overall in the 12th round to the Minnesota Twins, Amaral was selected 414th overall in the 14th round to the Pittsburgh Pirates and Ydens was taken 999th overall in the 33rd round to the Arizona Diamondbacks.
In 14 seasons as UCLA's head coach, John Savage has produced 92 MLB draft selections, including 33 players being drafted within the first 10 rounds. Today's picks bring the program's total to 274 all-time MLB Draft selections. In total four Bruins were selected in this year's draft as Jake Bird was taken in the fifth round on Tuesday to Colorado.
Olsen, a junior from Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., was named an All-Pac-12 selection last year and made six starts this season before injuries cut his season short. He held a 2.20 ERA in 28.2 innings in 2018 with 28 strikeouts. Olsen tossed his first career complete game on March 3 against Michigan State with eight strikeouts. Last summer, he played for the USA Collegiate National Team where he went 1-0 with a 2.67 ERA in six appearances, recording 15 strikeouts compared to just two walks. In three seasons at UCLA, Olsen has compiled a record of 9-1 in 132.0 innings with a 3.34 ERA with 115 strikeouts.
Amaral, a junior from Huntington Beach, Calif., was named a Pac-12 All-Defensive Team selection this season and is a two-time All-Pac-12 honorable mention. Amaral started and played in 55 games in centerfield this season and did not commit an error while also tallying five assists. Amaral finished the season batting .289 with a career-high 38 RBIs and three home runs, while leading the team with 14 stolen bases. He drove in a career-high four RBIs against USC on April 21 with a double and a triple. In three years in Westwood, Amaral hit .274 with 84 runs, 61 RBIs with 32 stolen bases.
Ydens, a sophomore from Campbell, Calif., was named an All-Pac-12 selection after leading the conference during Pac-12 play hitting .406, while also finishing second in slugging at .693 and sixth in on-base percentage at .461. In conference play, he also recorded 21 RBIs, 24 runs, 10 doubles and five home runs. Overall on the season, Ydens played in 53 games hitting .350 with 50 runs, 38 RBIs and 13 stolen bases. He finished the regular season ranked top-10 in the conference in batting average, triples and stolen bases. He drove in a career high five runs against Oregon on May 19 with two home runs.
Additionally, UCLA commits Jake Moberg (1026th overall, 34th round) and Sean Mullen (1056th overall, 35th round) were drafted on the final day. In total, four UCLA NLI signees were selected in this year's MLB Draft.