Daniel Susac is a Sacramento kid. His family might not have to travel far to see him play in the majors.
Arizona’s All-American catcher was selected by the Oakland Athletics with the 19th pick in the MLB draft Sunday.
Susac came off the board a little later than expected but still became the second UA first-rounder in the past three years. Austin Wells, also a catcher, was taken by the New York Yankees with the 28th pick in 2020.
Susac is the 12th first-round pick in UA history. He’s the highest-selected Wildcat since Kevin Newman also was picked 19th in 2015 by the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Susac
Susac played two seasons for the Wildcats, and he was as consistent and productive as any player in the Pac-12. Starting almost every game at catcher, Susac batted .351 with 24 home runs and 126 RBIs in 125 contests. He was named Pac-12 Freshman of the Year in 2021 and earned consensus All-America honors this past season.
In 2022, Susac became just the 10th player in program history to register 100 hits in a single season. He hit safely in 53 of 64 games, had 19 doubles and slashed .366/.429/.582.
In a draft in which the first two picks were the sons of former MLB All-Stars, the Athletics took a player who also has a family connection to the big leagues. Susac’s oldest brother, Andrew, was taken in the second round of the 2011 draft by the Bay Area’s other team, the San Francisco Giants. Andrew Susac played in the majors for six seasons before retiring because of injuries.
The 19th pick in this year’s draft carries a slot value of $3.53 million.
Daniel Susac’s former UA teammate, Jacob Berry, was selected by the Miami Marlins with the sixth overall pick. Berry played for the Wildcats in 2021 before following former Arizona coach Jay Johnson to LSU. The switch-hitting Berry batted .352 for the Wildcats, .370 for the Tigers.
