STANFORD, Calif. – There was a run on Stanford baseball players on day two of the 2023 MLB Draft, as seven Cardinal heard their names called during rounds three through 10.
With Tommy Troy going No. 12 overall to the Arizona Diamondbacks on Sunday in the first round, Stanford has now had eight players drafted this year.
Pac-12 Player of the Year Alberto Rios was the first taken off the board on Monday, selected in the third round with the 79th overall pick by the Los Angeles Angels.
Rios, the NCBWA District 9 Player of the Year, finished the season hitting .384 with 69 runs scored, 24 doubles, a team-best 18 home runs and 73 RBIs. The All-American outfielder hit safely in 54 of the 63 games he played this season and compiled 26 multi-hit games and a team-best 18 multi-RBI games – including setting a Stanford record with 11 RBIs vs. CSU Bakersfield on March 5.
Pac-12 Pitcher of the Year Quinn Mathews was next to be drafted, taken in the fourth round with pick No. 122 by the St. Louis Cardinals.
An All-American while serving as Stanford's Friday starter, Mathews compiled a 10-4 record with a 3.75 ERA over 19 appearances and 18 starts this year. The left-hander struck out 158 batters compared to 40 walks over 124 2/3 innings of work. The native of Aliso Viejo, Calif. managed 10+ strikeouts in eight starts this year – including striking out a career-best 16 in a must-win super regional game against Texas on June 11.
Ryan Bruno (No. 205) and Joey Dixon (No. 224) both were selected in the seventh round, going to the Arizona Diamondbacks and Houston Astros, respectively.
Bruno, an All-American according to College Baseball Foundation, posted a 2-2 record with nine saves over 30 relief appearances for the Cardinal this season. The left-hander struck out 56 hitters in 34 innings of work.
Dixon, an All-Pac-12 honorable mention selection, went 7-0 with a 4.73 ERA over 21 appearances and 14 starts for the Cardinal as a junior. The right-hander logged 83 2/3 innings while striking out 90 batters and limiting opponents to a .235 average against.
Junior first baseman Carter Graham was the first of three Cardinal players nabbed in the eighth round, with Graham selected No. 228 overall by the Cincinnati Reds. Eddie Park followed at No. 239 to the Chicago White Sox, while left-hander Drew Dowd was selected 243rd overall by the Tampa Bay Rays.
Graham batted .315 with 61 runs scored, 22 doubles, 15 homers and team-best 77 RBIs while starting all 64 games for the Cardinal. The native of Los Angeles posted 26 multi-hit games and 16 multi-RBI contests. A Pac-12 All-Conference performer, Graham also strung together a team-best 22 game hit streak while hitting .400 with 28 runs scored, 10 doubles, 10 homers and 40 RBIs from April 18 to June 2.
Park, an All-Pac-12 honorable mention selection, finished the season hitting .333 with 68 runs scored, 19 doubles, a triple, six homers and 47 RBIs while hitting atop the Stanford order. The native of San Jose, Calif. managed 31 multi-hit games and 13 multi-RBI contests while hitting safely in 50 of 63 games overall.
Dowd, an ABCA All-Region selection, registered a 9-3 record with a 4.52 ERA over 32 appearances, including three starts, as a junior this season. The Belmont, Calif. native struck out 88 hitters in 65 2/3 innings while limiting opponents to a .233 average against.
With two days in the books, Stanford saw five players drafted in the first seven rounds – the most for the program since five were taken in the first seven of the 2019 draft.
This year marks the first time in program history that Stanford has boasted eight selections in the first eight rounds of a draft – surpassing the previous mark of seven in the first eight rounds of the 1992 MLB Draft.
The 2023 MLB Draft concludes with rounds 11-20 on Tuesday. The first selection is set to be made by the Washington Nationals at 11 a.m. PT.