Zach DeLoach drafted in the second round by Seattle Mariners
In a span of 12 months, Texas A&M outfielder Zach DeLoach has gone from .200 hitter to a second round pick in the Major League Draft.
The junior from Lewisville was taken by the Seattle Mariners with the No. 43 overall selection on Thursday.
DeLoach came off of a down second season in Aggieland in 2019 but spent last summer leading the Cape Cod League in hitting. He parlayed that showing into an extremely impressive offensive display in his shortened junior season, hitting .421 with six home runs, six stolen bases and an eye-popping 1.336 OPS in just 18 games prior to an abrupt ending due to COVID-19.
“For [Zach] to have the kind of year he did for us, I'm very proud of him,” A&M head coach Rob Childress said. “He's a great kid, a great teammate and a great player to coach.”
DeLoach, who was listed by D1Baseball.com as the 36th-ranked college prospect entering the Draft, becomes the 11th Aggie in the Rob Childress era (2006-present) to be selected in the first two rounds. It’s the second straight year and the third time under Childress that A&M has produced a pair of picks in the first two rounds.
D1Baseball.com scouting report on Zach DeLoach
“Athletic and physical at 6-foot-2, 200 pounds, DeLoach can impact the game in a variety of ways. With an above-average arm and plus speed, his defense regularly shows above average, as he gets good reads off the bat and covers ground in all directions. He runs easy and can use his speed both in the outfield and on the basepaths, where he has good first-step quickness and instincts. In the batter’s box, the left-handed hitter possesses both bat speed and bat strength, showing plus or better raw power during batting practice, crushing balls high and deep to his pull side. After an adjustment to his lower half this past summer in the Cape, he is now getting to his raw power more often in games. DeLoach’s strong summer and ability to carry over his gains into the shortened spring season (.421/.547/.789 with six HRs) make him a top two round target, particularly given his athleticism, toolset and the industry’s lust for productive college bats in the early rounds.”