Here’s a look at three players with local ties who were selected Sunday on the first day of the Major League Baseball draft:
Catcher Malcolm Moore, Stanford: Taken with the 30th pick in the first round by the Texas Rangers, Moore hit .288 in 118 games over two seasons for the Cardinal with 31 home runs and 99 RBIs. Considered one of the top players of the 2022 draft class out of high school at McClatchy High in Sacramento, Moore (6-foot-2, 216 pounds) hit .311 with 15 home runs and 63 RBIs as a freshman and .255 with 16 home runs and 36 RBIs as a sophomore at Stanford. Moore is the 35th first-round pick in Stanford history and 20th since 2000. Ranked as the No. 26 prospect by MLB.com.
First baseman Blake Burke, Tennessee: Born in Oakland and raised in Brentwood, Burke (6-foot-3, 236 pounds) starred for De La Salle High and was one of the top hitters for the 2024 College World Series champion Volunteers. Burke went No. 34 to Milwaukee overall in the competitive balance round; selections between the first and second rounds are awarded to the 10 least revenue-producing teams. Burke had 20 home runs, 61 RBIs and a .379 batting average as a junior and had three-year totals of 50 homers and 136 RBIs. Ranked as the No. 65 prospect by MLB.com.
Catcher Caleb Lomavita, California: Selected in the second round at No. 39 overall by the Washington Nationals, Lomavita had a big 2024 season for the Golden Bears, hitting .322 with 15 home runs and 52 RBIs. In three years at Cal, Lomavita, from St. Louis High in Hawaii, hit .302 in 158 games with 38 home runs and 141 RBIs. Blessed with a strong arm at 5-foot-11 and 200 pounds, a move to third base wouldn’t be out of the question. Lomavita was ranked as the No. 39 prospect by MLB.com.
