June 6, 2000
LOS ANGELES, Calif. -- The UCLA baseball team set the NCAA record for players drafted in a season this year, as three more Bruins were selected in the late rounds of the 2000 Major League draft which concluded today.
Ryan Hamill, Brian Baron and Freddie Mitchell joined nine Bruins selected yesterday, giving UCLA a total of 12 draftees. The previous draft record was 11 set by USC in 1998. The previous UCLA high was 10 players drafted in 1991.
Hamill, a junior catcher from Woodland Hills, Calif., was selected by St. Louis in the 25th round. The UNLV transfer was the back-up catcher for the Bruins this year, and hit .246 with eight doubles, a home run and 15 RBI.
Baron was selected by the Minnesota Twins in the 46th round. The Newhall, Calif. native redshirted the 2000 baseball season this year due to a knee injury. Baron, who transferred from Northwestern after his sophomore season, has a career batting average of .337 with eight career home runs and 94 total RBI.
Mitchell, a native of Lakeland, Fla., jumped in as a 50th round pick by the Chicago White Sox. Mitchell is also a wide receiver on the UCLA football team and bypassed spring football practice to play for the diamond Bruins this year. Mitchell, used mainly as a pinch-runner and a defensive-replacement in center field, hit .235 in 26 games this season.
Here is a complete list of UCLA baseball players chosen in the 2000 Major League draft:
Round Pick Player Club1 15 Chase Utley Philadelphia 3 71 Rob Henkel Florida 5 137 Garrett Atkins Colorado 8 231 Bill Scott Milwaukee 8 235 Ryan Carter Philadelphia 13 378 Forrest Johnson Detroit 17 497 Charles Merricks Colorado 19 576 Chad Cislak Cleveland 20 586 Nick Lyon Tampa Bay 25 743 Ryan Hamill St. Louis 46 1348 Brian Baron Minnesota 50 1441 Freddie Mitchell Chicago (AL)