EDINBURG – The Los Angeles Dodgers announced on Tuesday that it has selected University of Texas-Pan American senior outfielder
Logan Landon with its 10
th round pick (312
th overall) of the
Major League Baseball (MLB) Draft.
Landon becomes the
35th Bronc to ever be selected in the MLB Draft and the fourth in as many years after the Pittsburgh Pirates drafted right-handed pitcher
Sam Street in the 16
th round (491
st overall) last season, the San Francisco Giants selected right-handed pitcher
Dusten Knight in the 28
th round (852
nd overall) in 2013, and the Houston Astros drafted third baseman
Angel Ibanez in the 28
th round (849
th overall) in 2012.
Landon is the sixth Bronc to ever be selected in the top 10 rounds and the first since 1999, when the San Diego Padres selected pitcher
Omar Ortiz in the first round (29
th overall).
Landon is the sixth Broncs outfielder to be selected in the MLB Draft and first since
Sidney Holland was drafted by the Oakland A's in the 24
th round (645
th overall) in 1990.
Landon is also the second Bronc to be drafted by the Dodgers and first since outfielder
Mitchell Moran in 1983.
Landon is looking to become the
fifth Bronc to ever make it to the major leagues as a player. Four have done it previously, including third baseman
George Williams, who played for the A's from 1995-97 and the San Diego Padres in 2000, catcher
Dan Firova, who played for the Milwaukee Brewers from 1981-82 and the Cleveland Indians in 1988, infielder
Wayne Tyrone, who played for the Chicago Cubs in 1978, and outfielder
Jim Tyrone, who played for the Cubs in 1972, 1974 and 1975 as well as the A's in 1977.
A large number of
outfielders drafted in the 10th round of previous MLB Drafts have reached the majors, including three-time All-Star
Brady Anderson, two-time All-Star and 1985 NL Rookie of the Year
Vince Coleman, 2010 All-Star
Marlon Byrd, and long-time Texas Ranger outfielder
Rusty Greer.
In his first year as a position player since attending Lincoln High School in Sioux Falls, S.D., Landon, who pitched out of the bullpen for the Broncs last season, earned All-Western Athletic Conference (WAC) Second Team, Madness All-WAC First Team, UTPA Male Student-Athlete of the Year and Breakout Athlete of the Year honors by hitting .382, third best in the WAC and 19
th in the NCAA, with an on-base percentage of .476, best in the WAC and 26
th in the NCAA, and a slugging percentage of .623, second best in the WAC and 40
th in the NCAA.
A two-time WAC Hitter of the Week, Landon tied for third in the WAC with eight home runs. His seventh shot hit the scoreboard at Prairie View A&M (4/21), which is in a similar location and similar distance from the plate as the one at Edinburg Baseball Stadium.
He was also second in the WAC in total bases (119) and runs scored (51), tied for second in doubles (14), third in RBI (47) and stolen bases (17), tied for sixth in walks (30) and triples (four), and tied for seventh in hits (73).
After starting the season 1-for-9, Landon went 21-for-34 (.618) to raise his average to an NCAA-leading .512 on March 11. He capped the stretch off with six hits in his first six at-bats against then No. 4 Texas A&M. Overall, Landon went 12-for-19 (.632) with three walks, a double, a home run, three RBI, four runs scored and two stolen bases in five games against ranked teams (Texas, Texas A&M and TCU). He maintained a batting average of at least .400 from Feb. 25 through April 25.
Landon also flashed the leather this season, making a diving catch in deep left field at Texas A&M (3/10), and then following that up by stealing a home run against Arlington Baptist by climbing up the bullpen wall and hoisting himself up to make a catch (3/14). Landon made a full-frontal diving catch to save a run against Northern Colorado that was ranked as
No. 4 on SportsCenter's Top 10 Plays (4/24). He also made a diving catch near the foul line at New Mexico State (5/9).
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