The two decisions following 2022 MLB Draft that will impact Wichita State baseball
After the second day of the 2022 MLB Draft, the Wichita State baseball team will eagerly anticipate decisions from two players who could be pivotal pieces to the 2023 roster.
There was no surprise on Monday when highly rated high school pitcher Ashton “A.J.” Izzi, who has signed with WSU, was selected by the Seattle Mariners in the fourth round with the No. 126 overall pick.
Another non-surprise for WSU was seeing Brock Rodden, a switch-hitting second baseman, drafted in the 10th round by the Oakland Athletics with the 304th overall pick.
Now WSU head coach Eric Wedge and his staff will play the waiting game to see if WSU’s top pitching prospect in its 2022 recruiting class and its top hitter from last season will be Shockers next season.
The draft slot for Izzi suggests he should receive a signing bonus worth nearly $475,000, but the Mariners are reportedly prepared to offer more to ensure their fourth-round draft pick turns pro.
Rodden stands to make around $151,000 for his draft slot, a six-figure bonus that is significant but there is internal optimism in the program that believes Rodden could return to WSU and significantly improve his draft position.
In his first season at WSU following a two-year stint in junior college, Rodden led the team in batting average (.338), on-base percentage (.441) and slugging percentage (.653), while hitting 17 home runs — the most by a Shocker since Drew Moffitt hit 26 homers in the 2004 season. He was named a first team all-conference pick in the American and earned AAC Newcomer Position Player of the Year.
Izzi is a 6-foot-3 right-hander whose fastball has touched as high as 97 mph in showcase events. He is rated as one of the top prep arms in the class of 2022 and was rated as the No. 120 prospect on MLB.com.
This story was originally published July 18, 2022 at 4:42 PM.
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