SAN JOSE, Calif. – San Jose State baseball outfielder Kellen Strahm and pitcher Andrew Mitchel were selected in the first 10 rounds of the 2019 Major League Baseball Draft on Tuesday. Strahm was selected in the fifth round by the Texas Rangers with the 145th overall pick while Mitchel was pick No. 233 in the eighth round by the San Diego Padres.
Strahm is the highest drafted Spartan since Zach Jones was selected with the 130th pick in the fourth round of the 2012 draft by the Minnesota Twins and is one of just nine former Spartans to be selected in the first five rounds in MLB Draft history.
The pair of Mitchel and Strahm are also just the second pair of teammates to be selected in the first 10 rounds of the same draft since Ken Caminiti (3rd) and Huck Hibberd (8th) in 1984.
Strahm was the Mountain West batting leader in 2019 with a .382 average. He began his senior season on an offensive tear, putting up outstanding numbers before an injury sidelined him for 12 games. By seasons end, Strahm still lead the team with 38 runs scored and six home runs, finished second with 58 hits and third with 28 RBI. He also led the way on the base paths with 14 stolen bases.
Strahm, a native of Eugene, Oregon, also posted a team-high .391 batting average in conference play in 23 starts. He tallied 34 hits, five home runs and 18 RBI and was a perfect 7-for-7 in stolen base attempts.
Mitchel closed his Spartan career with another great season on the bump. He finished as the Mountain West strikeout leader with 112 punch outs, which is ninth-most in a single season in school history. The Atwater, California, product finished the season with a 4.57 ERA and 4-5 record while holding batters to just a .208 average against.
On March 8, Mitchel put on a clinic in the win over Air Force, striking out 18 batters on the way to a 4-1 victory. The strikeout total was the most in the NCAA in 2019 and the most by a Spartan since 1964.
Strahm and Mitchel are the first Spartans selected in the MLB Draft since Josh Nashed and Matt Brown were picked in the 2017 draft.