TCU Baseball: Five Players Drafted By MLB
The month of July means one thing and one thing only– it’s time for the 2022 MLB Draft. It’s the time when aspiring ballplayers’ dreams come true or get put on hold, and for five Horned Frogs, their dreams became reality.
The MLB Draft is made of 20 rounds spread across three days, and without any Horned Frogs selected in the first few rounds, the focus turned to the prospect of Day Two when two pitchers were drafted in the 7th round.
Riley Cornelio was the first Horned Frog taken in the draft this year and will be heading to the nation’s capital to join the Washington Nationals. While ranked #244 on the Top 250 Draft Prospects list, the right-hander from Monument, Colorado was taken with the 201st pick.
Cornelio played three seasons for the Horned Frogs and had a solid college career. In the 2022 campaign, he started 15 games, posting a 4-5 record with a 4.68 ERA. Despite surrendering 13 home runs, the 22-year-old achieved six quality starts and held his opponents to a batting average of .227 last season. Just a few picks later another Horned Frog got the call, this time from the Boston Red Sox.
Right-handed reliever, Caleb Bolden, was drafted with the 219th pick and will be joining a Boston Red Sox organization that holds an illustrious history of winning nine World Series dating back to 1903. In 2017, Bolden was originally drafted out of high school by the Tampa Bay Rays in the 16th round of the Amateur Draft but decided to turn down the offer and instead continue his baseball journey in college.
Caleb Bolden
While concluding his college career with TCU, he also called Fayetteville home for three years as he played with the University of Arkansas. After making his way to Fort Worth following the 2021 season, Bolden went 5-2 with a 6.23 ERA in 23 appearances. He struck out 46 batters in 39 innings pitched, but allowed 19 walks and 37 hits over that span, leading to his below-average WHIP (Walk and Hits per Inning) of 1.436.
Although he struggled at times, Bolden was often called upon by Coach Kirk Saarloos as a reliable reliever that could get the job done and escape a jam.
Cornelio and Bolden weren’t the only two Horned Frogs to be drafted as Day Three saw a trio of stars get selected by major league clubs.
Starting pitcher Marcelo Perez was drafted by the Seattle Mariners in the 11th Round with the 336th pick. Just a year earlier, Perez was drafted by the Los Angeles Angels in the 20th round of the 2021 MLB First-Year Player Draft, but like teammate Caleb Bolden, Perez chose to focus on his growth and development by remaining at TCU.
Marcelo Perez
Perez’s time at TCU was both successful and filled with accolades. He was named to the 1st-Team Academic All-Big 12 team and the 2nd-Team All-Big12 in 2022. Perez began the season as a reliever, but with a void in the starting rotation, his number was called and he stepped right in. The righty from Laredo, Texas posted a record of 6-3 and ERA of 3.23 in nine starts and across 17 appearances. He also held his opponents to a measly .216 batting average, fanning 52 batters in 61⅓ innings.
The next Horned Frog to be selected was none other than TCU’s left-handed ace, Austin Krob. The southpaw from Lisbon, Iowa was drafted with the 360th pick in the 12th round by the San Diego Padres.
Austin Krob
The lefty appeared 36 times in his three seasons with the Horned Frogs, only losing one game. He took this momentum and had a dominant second year going 8-1 with a 3.81 ERA in 16 starts all while fanning 96 hitters in 85 innings. Following his standout 2021 season, he injured his shoulder early this season when pitching against Army in mid-March. Krob was shut down for several weeks but was able to rehab and come back to pitch in a relief outing against Oklahoma State at the end of April. Since then, Krob made 6 starts in 13 appearances finishing the season 2-0 with an ERA of 5.12.
He will be joining a Padres organization that is looking to win not only its first National League pennant since 1998, but also its first World Series in franchise history.
Tommy Sacco was the final Horned Frog to be drafted and was selected by the Houston Astros in the 14th round. Of the five TCU players drafted this year, he is the only one who will be remaining in Texas to continue his journey to the majors. The native from Gilbert, Arizona began his collegiate baseball career at Yavapai Community College, where after two seasons made the transition to playing Horned Frogs baseball.
Tommy Sacco
Sacco’s transition wasn’t easy as he would face his fair share of struggles–most notably in his 2021 campaign when finished with a batting average of .231 with only one home run and 27 RBIs. But the shortstop made quite the turnaround in the ensuing 2022 season where he was named to the first-team All-Big 12. He also led the team with a batting average of .355, 23 doubles, 14 home runs, and 58 RBIs. Not to mention, Sacco started all 60 games and reached 100 career hits for TCU–an achievement to be greatly delighted about.
The key to Sacco’s great year was unlocking a never-before-seen power that was unleashed among Big 12 opponents as he turned a single home run in the year prior to a team-leading 14 in 2022.
The Houston Astros, who have played in three of the last five World Series, are getting a remarkable shortstop who can lead on and off the diamond–an individual who has integrity and an unmatchable will to win.
Now five Horned Frogs were drafted by major league organizations, but what does this mean for those that remained undrafted?
Most notably, second baseman Gray Rodgers and outfielder Porter Brown were undrafted. For Rodgers, he will close this chapter of playing for TCU Baseball as he is no longer eligible for another season. But the Dallas native finished the season on a positive note and concluded his career as a Horned Frog with over 127 hits, nine home runs, 86 RBIs and a .283 batting average.
Gray Rodgers
As for Brown, he announced Wednesday that he will enter the transfer portal and seek new options. The 21-year-old outfielder from San Antonio finished the 2022 campaign with a batting average of .276, five home runs, and 23 RBIs. Brown has not named a specific school that he will be transferring to, but nevertheless, he’ll look to build upon his performances with the Horned Frogs last season.
Despite the team’s early exit in the 2022 College Baseball Championship, this group has plenty to be proud of including back-to-back Big12 Championships. As TCU Baseball turns the page on last season, Kirk Saarloos has laid down and instilled a foundation that will guarantee success for years to come.
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