Bears OF Jared McKenzie Drafted No. 141 Overall by Washington Nationals

McKenzie finds himself drafted in the fifth round of the 2022 MLB Draft.

There is no way to sugarcoat the fact that the 2022 season was a disappointing one for the Baylor Bears. 

Despite qualifying for the Big 12 Tournament, they would go 0-2 in Arlington and finish their season with a sub .500 record at 26-28, including an abysmal 7-17 in Big 12 play. 

As a result, numerous players put themselves in the transfer portal following the season, headlined by Bears' outfielder Jared McKenzie. However, as the Bears wait to see if McKenzie will transfer out, they now might see him go professional instead. 

McKenzie was able to parlay his successful 2022 season into an MLB Draft selection, with the Washington Nationals selecting him in the fifth round with their No. 141 overall pick. 

J-Mac ➡️ D.C. ‼️

The first Bear off the board is headed to the nation's capital! 🤩#SicEm 🐻⚾️ | @Jared_McKenzie2 pic.twitter.com/5tUf9zKhtu

— Baylor Baseball (@BaylorBaseball) July 18, 2022

This marks the fourth consecutive season that the Bears have seen a player drafted in the first five rounds of the MLB Draft.

McKenzie was named to 2022 All Big-12 Second Team after slashing .288/.388/.517, launching a team-high 11 home runs and driving in 42 runs. Should McKenzie not return to Baylor in 2023 he will leave third on Baylor's all-time career batting average list with a career average of .346. 

He will look to translate his three successful years at Baylor into a meaningful professional career as the Bears now look to find his replacement ahead of the 2023 season. 

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You can find Connor Zimmerlee on Twitter @Connorjz98

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