Kevin Bazzell, Kyle Robinson are Texas Tech baseball's most likely picks in MLB draft

Don Williams, Lubbock Avalanche-Journal

Major League Baseball's annual player draft gets under way Sunday, and two members of the Texas Tech baseball team could go relatively early in the three-day affair.

Catcher Kevin Bazzell is ranked No. 55 by MLB.com and No. 68 by ESPN among the top prospects. Tech pitcher Kyle Robinson is ranked No. 182 on the MLB.com list.

The draft's early rounds begin at 6 p.m. CDT Sunday. It continues Monday and Tuesday. It originates from Fort Worth, scheduled in conjunction with the MLB All-Star Week events in Arlington that include the All-Star Futures Game on Saturday, the Home Run Derby on Monday and the All-Star Game on Tuesday at Globe Life Field.

Texas Tech catcher Kevin Bazzell (4) gestures to the bullpen after hitting a home run against Brigham Young in a March 23 game at Dan Law Field/Rip Griffin Park. Bazzell is a consensus top-100 prospect for the Major League Baseball draft that begins Sunday.
Texas Tech catcher Kevin Bazzell (4) gestures to the bullpen after hitting a home run against Brigham Young in a March 23 game at Dan Law Field/Rip Griffin Park. Bazzell is a consensus top-100 prospect for the Major League Baseball draft that begins Sunday.

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Bazzell is draft-eligible as a third-year sophomore who's already turned 21. He transferred to Tech in January 2022 after one semester at Dallas Baptist and redshirted. Playing third base in 2023, he earned all-Big 12 and freshman all-America recognition after batting .348 with 10 home runs, 62 runs batted in and 24 doubles.

Texas Tech switched the Rockwall-Heath graduate to catcher this season. He batted .306 with six home runs and 32 RBI, missing a stretch in late February and the first half of March on account of illness.

Robinson, a 6-foot-6, 210-pound junior righthander, was in the Red Raiders' starting rotation throughout this season, going 4-7 with a 5.09 earned-run average. He struck out 79 in 76 innings, both team highs.

Among the other players on the 2024 Tech team who could be selected are first baseman Gavin Kash, third baseman Cade McGee and right fielder Austin Green. Kash had his name entered into the NCAA transfer portal after the season and committed to Texas A&M.

The lefthanded hitter transferred from Texas to Texas Tech before the 2023 season. He batted .327 with 26 homers and 84 RBI last year, tying for fifth in Division I in homers and ranking seventh in RBI. He dropped off this season, batting .300 with 15 homers and 51 RBI.

McGee, a junior transfer from Gonzaga, hit .288 with 15 homers and a team-leading 55 RBI. He was hit by pitch 23 times and drew 37 walks, boosting his on-base percentage to .450. He led the team in all three categories.

Green, a second-year transfer from Weatherford College, batted .322 this season with eight homers and 45 RBI. The New Diana graduate his .290 with 12 homers and 57 RBI in his 2023 debut season for the Red Raiders.

Texas Tech righthander Kyle Robinson (42) delivers a pitch in a 2023 game against Gonzaga at Dan Law Field/Rip Griffin Park. The Major League Baseball draft begins Sunday, and Robinson is a top-200 prospect, according to MLB.com.
Texas Tech righthander Kyle Robinson (42) delivers a pitch in a 2023 game against Gonzaga at Dan Law Field/Rip Griffin Park. The Major League Baseball draft begins Sunday, and Robinson is a top-200 prospect, according to MLB.com.

This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Kevin Bazzell, Kyle Robinson Texas Tech baseball's likely MLB draft picks

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