UCLA baseball makes strong showing with eight players in 2015 MLB draft

The UCLA baseball program recently proved itself to be one of the country’s top sources for Major League Baseball talent.

In the 2015 MLB draft, which spanned from June 8 to 10, a total of eight Bruins were selected, with six chosen in the first 16 rounds. Only three colleges in the country produced more picks in the first 16 rounds – Florida, Texas Christian University and Vanderbilt – each of which made it to the College World Series this month.

The high number of UCLA draftees in the first 16 rounds wasn’t an anomaly for the program. In 2012 and 2006, the Bruins had seven players picked in the first 16 rounds. In 2000, UCLA had six players selected in the first 16 rounds.

The list below provides a breakdown of each UCLA player selected this year.

James Kaprielian, junior starting pitcher (First round, 16th overall – New York Yankees)

Back in 2012, Kaprielian was not drafted until the 40th and final round by the Seattle Mariners. But according to MLB.com, this late draft selection was not indicative of Kaprielian’s talent level. Rather, the MLB.com scouting report says that Kaprielian could have been drafted in the first two rounds had he not been so committed to attending UCLA.

After three seasons at UCLA, Kaprielian said he had no regrets about his decision to play college baseball.

“Attending UCLA was the best decision I could have made,” Kaprielian said in a Yankees media conference call on June 11.

In his three years as a Bruin, Kaprielian helped UCLA attain its first-ever national title in 2013 and its first-ever no-hitter this year. He also captured the Pac-12 strikeout crown in each of the past two seasons.

Kaprielian is projected to be a middle-of-the-rotation starter for the Yankees and a fast riser through their farm system.

Kevin Kramer, redshirt junior shortstop (Second round, 62nd overall – Pittsburgh Pirates)

Earlier this year, UCLA coach John Savage said Kramer’s talent was on par with two other college shortstops who happened to be the first two players selected in this year’s draft – Vanderbilt’s Dansby Swanson and LSU’s Alex Bregman.

“I don’t think (Kramer’s) getting the notoriety that a lot of those other guys are getting – Swanson and the LSU shortstop – but I think he can play with anybody,” Savage said on April 4. “He’s an exceptional player – he can hit, he can defend, he’s got a little power, he uses the whole field when he hits and he’s left-handed (at the plate).”

Kramer finished the 2015 season as a first-team All-Pac-12 selection, his 82 hits and 121 total bases both ranking No. 4 in the conference.

Kramer will have to work his way up the pecking order in the Pirates’ farm system. Pittsburgh’s first-round pick this year was a shortstop – Arizona’s Kevin Newman – and two of the Pirates’ top-10 minor-league prospects right now are shortstops as well – Alen Hanson and Cole Tucker, the 24th overall pick in last year’s draft.

Kramer officially signed a contract with the Pirates this week, with a reported bonus of $850,000.

Cody Poteet, junior pitcher (Fourth round, 116th overall – Miami Marlins)

Poteet was one of the UCLA’s most prized recruits in its 2012 recruit class, ranking as the No. 189 player on Baseball America’s list of the top 500 prospects available in the 2012 MLB draft. In that year, Poteet was drafted in the 27th round by the Washington Nationals.

Poteet began this season as UCLA’s No. 3 starting pitcher, taking the hill for the first five Sunday games of the season. But after experiencing some struggles with command, Poteet was demoted to the No. 4 position, starting only in midweek games against nonconference opponents.

Poteet showed flashes of brilliance this year, striking out nearly a batter per inning during his starts; he also finished the year with a solid ERA of 2.45. But Poteet never was able to fully solve his problems with command. In his 13 starts this year, Poteet was only able to reach the six-inning plateau one time, and that was in his first start of the season against Hofstra. He finished the year with a 1.52 WHIP in his 13 starts.

David Berg, senior closer (Sixth round, 173rd overall – Chicago Cubs)

Berg was draft-eligible last year as a junior, and was drafted in the 17th round by the Texas Rangers. But the distinguished closer came back for one final season in Westwood, with the goal of attaining a second national title in four years.

Though Berg came up short of that goal, he left a lasting imprint on his coach and on the college baseball landscape as a whole.

“I would like also to say, David Berg will go down as the best reliever in the history of the game,” said Savage after UCLA’s final game this season. “The numbers back it up.”

Berg finished his career by earning his second Pac-12 Pitcher of the Year award in four years. His deft sidearm delivery helped him earn the NCAA record for saves in a season in 2013 and the No. 2 ERA in the nation this year.

Going forward, Berg will likely rely even more on his deception and release point, as his fastball tops out in the high 80s. Other relievers, such as the Houston Astros’ Luke Gregerson, have proven to be highly efficient while pitching in the 80s with a sidearm throwing angle like Berg’s.

Ty Moore, junior left fielder (12th round, 367th overall – Pittsburgh Pirates)

Moore was UCLA’s offensive leader all season, sparking the team with home runs in key situations and home-plate collisions when needed. Moore finished the year No. 4 in the Pac-12 in RBI and No. 6 in batting average, with first-team All-Pac-12 accolades to his credit. Moore was also UCLA’s top clutch hitter in the postseason, batting .438 in the NCAA regional with a pivotal three-run home run in an elimination game against Cal State Bakersfield.

One thing Moore will have to work on moving forward is his fielding. His .948 fielding percentage was the lowest of any position player on UCLA this year, and his range is average at best. Moore didn’t show standout arm strength, either, as he finished the year with only one outfield assist.

Grant Watson, senior starting pitcher (16th round, 486th overall – San Francisco Giants)

Watson is a crafty left-handed pitcher who finished his career with the most wins ever by a left-handed pitcher in UCLA baseball history. He was UCLA’s most efficient pitcher this year in terms of command, as he allowed only 1.94 walks per nine innings.

Moving forward, Watson will need to work on keeping the ball on the ground, as he is not a strikeout thrower like Kaprielian or Poteet. This season, Watson only averaged 6.08 strikeouts per nine innings, while averaging nearly a one-to-one groundball-to-flyball ratio.

Chris Keck, senior third baseman (18th round, 527th overall – Colorado Rockies)

Keck had a breakout season in his final year of collegiate eligibility. Entering the season, he had two home runs and 25 RBI in his three previous collegiate seasons. In 2015 alone, Keck had seven home runs and 47 RBI, with the Bruins’ highest slugging percentage of .483. Keck also proved to be durable, starting each of UCLA’s 61 games this year after missing nearly all of last season because of a blood clot in his arm.

Tucker Forbes (30th round, 906th overall – San Francisco Giants)

When Forbes takes the baseball field, he looks like a player fresh off the basketball court. Standing at 6 feet 8 inches, he towers over most players on the field. But when Forbes stands atop the 10-inch pitching mound, he’s even more imposing. Combine that height advantage with a 90 to 94 mile-per-hour fastball, and you have one of the more intriguing prospects in the draft. Forbes finished the 2015 season with a strikeout rate that was nearly as high as his stature is tall: 10.63 strikeouts per nine innings.

Eight UCLA recruits selected in draft

In addition to the eight current Bruins who were selected in the 2015 draft, eight potential Bruins in the 2016 season were drafted as well. UCLA’s top prospect – left-handed pitcher Kolby Allard from San Clemente High School – was drafted No. 14 overall by the Atlanta Braves, and three other Bruin signees were picked in the top 60.

Compiled by Matthew Joye, Bruin Sports senior staff.