University of California, Los Angeles, Athletics
Four More Bruins Selected on Day Three of the MLB Draft
LOS ANGELES – UCLA outfielder Ty Moore, left-handed pitcher Grant Watson, infielder Chris Keck and right-handed pitcher Tucker Forbes were each selected on day three of the 2015 Major League Baseball Draft on Tuesday. The junior, Moore, was selected by the Pittsburgh Pirates as the 367th overall pick in the 12th round, the senior, Watson, was selected by the San Francisco Giants as the 486rd overall pick in the 16th round, fellow senior, Keck, was selected by the Colorado Rockies as the 527th overall pick in the 18th round and redshirt sophomore, Forbes, was selected by the Giants as the 906th overall pick in the 30th round.
In 11 seasons as UCLA's Head Coach, John Savage has now produced 77 MLB Draft selections, including 29 players being drafted within the first 10 rounds. Today’s four picks bring the program’s total to 259 all-time MLB Draft selections.
Moore led UCLA with a career-high .342 average (6th best in the Pac-12), earning his first All-Pac-12 honor this season. The Mater Dei High School alum recorded 18 extra-base hits, including six homeruns, and had a team-high 51 RBI. The Mission Viejo, Calif. native started all 61 games this season and set or tied single game career-highs in at-bats, runs, hits, RBI, triples, homeruns and stolen bases. Moore was named the Pac-12 Player of the Week twice this season, going 5-for-13 with nine RBI from March 23-29 and going 7-for-18 with six RBI from May 4-10. Over the past two seasons, Moore has started all 112 games and his career .305 batting average ranks first among Bruins on the active roster.
Watson, earning his first All-Pac-12 first team honor, had a record-breaking season, passing Jim Parque as the winningest left-handed pitcher in UCLA history. His total of 30 career wins also ranks second in UCLA history among all pitchers, just four back of record-holder Trevor Bauer. Watson also set a new school record for career starts at 63 over four seasons in Westwood. This season, the Bakersfield, Calif. native went 8-5 with a 2.30 ERA (5th best in the Pac-12) in 16 starts. Over 97.2 innings, Watson racked up 66 strikeouts, while holding opponents to a .231 average. Excellent at controlling the run game, Watson picked off a conference-high 10 runners in 2015.
Keck had a break-out 2015 campaign, hitting .293 with seven home runs and 47 RBI. The Pleasanton, Calif. native started all 61 games for the Bruins, splitting time between third and first base. Keck led the team in slugging percentage (.483) and his 21 doubles ranked first in the Pac-12. The Amador Valley High School alum committed just five errors this season, posting a .972 fielding percentage. Keck was honored as the Pac-12 Player of the Week earlier this year after he went 5-for-10 with nine RBI over a four-game span from February 23 – March 1.
Having made no appearances over his first two seasons in Westwood, Forbes stepped in and was an important contributor for the Bruins in 2015 out of the bullpen. The 6-foot-8 right-hander made 38 appearances, going 1-0 with a 2.11 ERA over 38.1 innings. Forbes struck out 45 batters and walked just nine, posting a 5/1 strikeout-to-walk ratio. The Pebble Beach, Calif. native closed the season by not allowing a run or a hit in his final four appearances, including four innings of perfect ball in three postseason games.
The four day three picks join James Kaprielian (16th pick, 1st round), Kevin Kramer (62nd pick, 2nd round), Cody Poteet (116th pick, 4th round) and David Berg (173rd pick, 6th round), who were selected on day one and two, as 2015 draftees.
Additionally, UCLA commits Justin Hooper (751st pick, 25th round), Kyle Molnar (761st pick, 25th round) and Michael Benson (1007th pick, 34th round) were selected on day three.