All season, Arizona Wildcats juniors Cody Deason and Cesar Salazar joked with each other about being drafted by the same team.
“When it happened,” Salazar said Tuesday, “I was in shock.”
Their plan became a reality on Day 2 of the 2018 MLB draft. Deason and Salazar were picked two rounds apart by the same team — the World Series champion Houston Astros.
The Astros selected Deason, a right-handed pitcher, in the fifth round, and Salazar, a catcher, in the seventh. They soon will join former UA teammate JJ Matijevic in the Houston organization. The Astros picked Matijevic, a left-handed-hitting outfielder/first baseman, on Day 1 of the ’17 draft.
Six Wildcats in all were selected Tuesday, setting a school record for the first 10 rounds. Arizona is tied with Kentucky and Oregon State for the most picks from one school so far.
“It just shows how well prepared our coaching staff makes us,” Salazar said. “Like (coach Jay) Johnson says, Arizona baseball is an MLB training ground. They prepare us really well, and that attracts the scouts a lot.”
First baseman/outfielder Alfonso Rivas III was the first Wildcat picked Tuesday, going to the Oakland Athletics in the fourth round. Right-hander Michael Flynn went to Pittsburgh in Round 6; righty Tylor Megill went to the New York Mets in Round 8; and center fielder Cal Stevenson went to Toronto in Round 10.
Deason was taking a shower at his parents’ house in Ojai, California, when his dad broke the news that Salazar had been selected by the Astros. Deason’s reaction?
“Dude! No freaking way!”
Deason called Salazar, and they’re already dreaming of rising through the Astros organization together. Deason, Salazar, Rivas and Flynn were roommates this season. Salazar has been the pitchers’ primary catcher the past three years.
“Hopefully we’re going to move up the system together,” Salazar said of himself and Deason. “Me and him have a really good pitcher-catcher relationship. That would be the ideal plan.”
Of course, neither player has signed a contract, and as of Tuesday they weren’t even sure where they were headed next. They had to get through the draft first.
After monitoring the proceedings for a while with about 20 friends and family members, Deason started to get anxious. The third and fourth rounds went by, and his name hadn’t been called.
Deason escaped to a trailer behind his parents’ house to get away from the crowd and try to relax. Soon after, his name popped up on the MLB.com draft tracker.
“It was a relief, that’s for sure,” said Deason, who went 6-5 with a 2.87 ERA as Arizona’s top starter this season. “You never know. I feel like I should have gone earlier, but everything happens for a reason. I’m glad I got picked where I got picked. I’m just ready for the next step.”
Deason is an admirer of Astros right-handers Justin Verlander and Gerrit Cole. But Deason grew up as a fan of the Los Angeles Dodgers, who lost to the Astros in the 2017 World Series.
“Now I guess I’m super excited we won it last year,” Deason said, laughing.
Salazar, his family and some close friends monitored the draft from his parents’ house in Hermosillo, Mexico. Salazar described the experience as “nerve-racking” in a way that’s “hard to explain.”
About nine picks before the Astros were due up in the seventh round, Salazar got a call from his adviser, Gabe Mayorga. He told Salazar the Astros were planning to select him. Then it actually happened.
“Your dream is going to come true,” said Salazar, who hit .339 and threw out 57.1 percent of would-be base stealers this season. “It’s what you’ve been working for your whole life.”
Salazar said he’s heard good things about the Astros organization from Matijevic, his former roommate, who’s batting .326 in A-ball so far this season. That undoubtedly would be a topic of conversation when the Salazars went out for sushi Tuesday night to celebrate Cesar’s big day and his pending reunion with a pair of old teammates.
Rivas goes first
Deason and Rivas were neck and neck for the top ranking among UA prospects, and Rivas ended up coming off the board first at No. 113. That pick has a slot value of $493,000.
Rivas, a three-year starter for Arizona, batted .342 this season with seven home runs and 52 RBIs. The left-handed hitter was even better as a sophomore in 2017, hitting .371 with seven homers and 63 RBIs.
Rivas played first base this season after serving as Arizona’s primary left fielder last year. He mainly played DH as a freshman. He projects as a corner outfielder or first baseman.
Flynn was selected 12 picks after Deason, at No. 174. Flynn posted a 6-5 record with a 4.89 ERA this season. He struck out 72 batters in 73º innings. The Pirates took UA outfielder Jared Oliva in the seventh round last year.
Megill was up and down during his two seasons at Arizona. He finished this year with a 4.73 ERA and six saves, striking out 38 batters in 32ª innings. Megill is listed at 6-foot-6 and can throw his fastball in the mid-90s.
Stevenson played through a hand injury as a senior. He batted .293 with a .416 on-base percentage and a 35-16 walk-to-strikeout ratio. He led the Wildcats with eight stolen bases and made only one error in 120 chances in center field.
Inside pitch
- Arizona had five players drafted in the first 10 rounds on three previous occasions: 1986, 2008 and 2012.
- Two UA signees, pitcher Matthew Liberatore and infielder Nolan Gorman, were selected in the first round Monday. Barring something unforeseen, they will not attend Arizona.
- No other high school players from the 2018 signing class have been picked yet, and that could be a good sign for Johnson and his program. Catcher Austin Wells of Las Vegas was ranked 170th by MLB.com and 206th by Baseball America entering the draft.
- The Tampa Bay Rays selected UA commit Michael Berglund in the eighth round. The catcher is a transfer from Texas Tech.
- The draft concludes with Rounds 11-40 on Wednesday.
