Arizona State baseball signee drafted in the first round

TEMPE, Ariz. — Arizona State baseball has missed out on the chance to watch some incredibly talented players suit up in the maroon and gold. Another name may have been added to that growing list this Sunday. In the first round of the 2023 MLB Draft, the Cleveland Guardians selected ASU signee Ralphy Velazquez with the 23rd pick.

Cleveland Guardians pick Arizona State baseball signee

Velazquez is from Huntington Beach Calif. The catcher was the number one ranked prospect in the state, and 10th nationally. The recent high school graduate is one of the best power-hitting prospects in the country. His defense still needs improvement, but that will come with time.

This season for his high school team, Velazquez absolutely raked. The lefty-batter slashed .402/.525/.706. He also added on six homers, eight doubles, and a triple. All in just 30 games. Imagine having to pitch against a machine at the plate like that after a long day of Algebra.

According to MLB Pipeline, Velazquez’s bat and arm strength are his greatest tools.

Velazquez officially signed with the Sun Devils on Dec 21st, 2022. Now he won’t ever take a collegiate at bat.

Despite him never officially suiting up for Willie Bloomquist and Arizona State, Velazquez signing with the Sun Devils is still a positive for the program. A top high school prospect signing with a school, while knowing he probably won’t play college baseball, is still a stamp of approval for the program.

It’s also helpful to show on the recruiting trail. Bloomquist can point to a top prospect like Velazquez and say: “Hey, this guy is where you want to be, and he thought this place was good enough for him.”

Velazquez joins some very impressive names of players to sign with the Sun Devils but never play collegiate baseball.

• Nolen Arenado
• Gavin Lux
• Prince Fielder
• Jimmy Rollins
• Bo Bichette

And there are many more names. Now I’m just going to dream about Nolen Arenado in the maroon and gold.

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