Breaking down 8 Sacramento-area players picked in 2024 MLB Draft. Why no local JuCo picks?
The Major League Baseball amateur draft started in 1965 with the latest haul starting on July 14 and concluding on Tuesday. It lasted 20 rounds with 615 selections.
The Sacramento region produced eight picks, each of them out of college, including a first-round choice in Malcolm Moore, the pride of McClatchy High School and Stanford.
The MLB draft used to have more than 70 rounds, including a record-high 101 in 1990 that yielded 1,487 selections. That eclipsed the 1989 record of 88 rounds. The draft as recently as 2019 was trimmed to 40 rounds. It dropped to a record-low five rounds in 2020 due to COVID when high school and college seasons were wiped out because of the pandemic.
The draft has gone 20 rounds since 2021.
Only one junior college player from talent-rich California was picked this week with right-handed, powerhouse pitcher Will Gagnon of Reedley College in Fresno County going in the 14th round to the Los Angeles Dodgers. This wasn’t a reflection on California suddenly hitting a talent lull on the JC level as much as it’s the continuing trend for MLB teams to focus on four-year players.
A closer look at the local haul in 2024:
Malcolm Moore
Round: 1st
Position: Catcher
Team: Texas Rangers
Overall pick: 30
Local roots: McClatchy HS/Stanford
Comment: The 23rd first-round MLB pick from the Sacramento region showcased power at the plate and leadership behind it. The 2022 Sacramento Bee Player of the Year belted 16 homers for Stanford in 2024 and competes with relentless positivity.
Ryan Stafford
Round: 5th
Position: Catcher
Team: Baltimore Orioles
Overall pick: 160
Local roots: Folsom HS/Cal Poly
Comment: A three-year starter for Cal Poly, Stafford earned Big West Defensive Player of the Year honors in 2024. He is Cal Poly’s all-time doubles leader and was a Bee All-Metro honoree whose defense impressed MLB scouts.
Ryan Gallagher
Round: 6th
Position: Pitcher
Team: Chicago Cubs
Overall pick: 182
Local roots: Granite Bay HS/UC Santa Barbara
Comment: Gallagher casts a shadow at 6-foot-4 and 225 pounds. He earned All-American honors in 2024 in going 10-1 with a 2.22 ERA with 96 strikeouts and just 25 walks. He did not play in 2023 and went 8-0 in 2022.
Anthony Susac
Round: 8th
Position: Pitcher
Team: Texas Rangers
Overall pick: 255
Local roots: Jesuit HS/Arizona
Comment: Goes by “Tonko,” and at 6-3 and 220 pounds, Susac was a tank as a starter or out of the bullpen as a three-year cog for the Wildcats while also earning Pac-12 academic honors. He impressed early as a Jesuit freshman. His cousin, Daniel Susac, was a 2022 first-round pick by the A’s.
Steven Brooks
Round: 11th
Position: Pitcher
Team: Boston Red Sox
Overall pick: 327
Local roots: Cosumnes Oaks HS/Cal Poly
Comment: A late bloomer as a pitcher after showing promise as a hitter in high school, Brooks has bloomed with potential to grow at 6-6 and 210 pounds. He started 31 games and made 43 appearances over three seasons at Cal Poly, going 9-1 with 154 strikeouts in 178.2 innings with just 54 walks.
J.R. Freethy
Round: 14th
Position: Infielder
Team: Toronto Blue Jays
Overall pick: 427
Local roots: Granite Bay HS/Nevada
Comment: A two-year starter in college, Freethy in 2024 belted 10 home runs, drove in 37, had 18 doubles and led the team with 45 runs while excelling on defense. He led the Sierra Foothill League in batting and hits as a high school senior in 2019.
Andres Galan
Round: 17th
Position: Pitcher
Team: Tampa Bay Rays
Overall pick: 516
Local roots: Franklin HS/Cal
Comment: A two-year starter for Cal, Galan looked the part of prospect at 6-4 and 215 pounds, going 5-2 in 2024 and 3-2 in 2023. The Bee’s Large School Player of the Year in 2021 batted .385 as a Franklin senior with a 7-3 record.
Cam Walty
Round: 20th
Position: Pitcher
Team: Cleveland Guardians
Overall pick: 595
Local roots: Cosumnes Oaks HS/Arizona
Comment: Earned third-team All-American honors as an Arizona senior, going a Pac-12 best 8-2 in 14 starts with just 13 walks in 90.1 innings. He went 5- 1 in 2023 after winning nine games in two seasons at Nevada. He was the first Division I baseball signee in Cosumnes Oaks High School history.
