Every year, Major League Baseball conducts multiple rounds of drafting picks, drafting more than 1,500 players. Multiple Cal Poly baseball players have been selected into the league since its creation and competed in the majors.
Former Mustangs Mark Mathias, Brian Mundell, Casey Bloomquist and Zack Zehner are all playing for an opportunity to reach the majors. Junior right handed pitcher Justin Calomeni and junior first baseman Brett Barbier hope to join their former teammates in the minors, and perhaps Casey Fien and Bud Norris in the major leagues one day.
Calomeni, who holds a 2.95 ERA and has often been used as Cal Poly’s closer this season, has been looked at as a potential draft pick by multiple outlets. His 61 strikeouts in 39.2 innings and ability to swing between the bullpen and starting rotation have solidified his status as a probable draft pick.
Barbier, a catcher, first baseman and outfielder, is also seen as a probable draftee. In 199 at-bats, Barbier recorded a .352 batting average and .974 OPS recent along with 70 hits and 41 runs, all team highs.
Though lefty Kyle Smith boasts as the most decorated starting pitcher on the Mustangs’ squad, with 89 strikeouts, the sophomore looks to be returning for another year.
Mathias was drafted in the third round by the Cleveland Indians after two All-Big West Conference First Team selctions while at Cal Poly. He has crossed home plate eight times in the last 10 games for the High-A Lynchburg Hillcats, putting him at 62 total runs scored this year. The second baseman also had 11 hits in the past 10 games.
Mundell, a slugging first baseman/designated hitter for the Mustangs from 2013-15, was picked in the seventh round by the Colorado Rockies. He owns a .347/.404/.535 slash line for the Rockies’ Class A affiliate and may soon be due for a promotion.
Bloomquist, drafted in the 17th round, is 3-2 with a 2.95 ERA and 0.87 WHIP for the Class A South Bend Cubs. The right-handed pitcher, who received First Team All-American honors from Baseball America in 2014, has recorded 15 strikeouts in his last 13.2 innings.
Zehner was drafted by the New York Yankees in the 18th round. The left fielder, who finished at Cal Poly in 2014 but waited a year to enter pro baseball, currently sports an on-base percentage of .406 for the Tampa Yankees in High-A.