A's Take Cal's Rodney Green Jr. in Fourth Round of MLB Draft

Golden Bears center fielder Green has a lot of potential but strikes out a little too much

Rodney Green Jr. Reacts to being drafted by the A's /

A year ago at this time, it looked like Cal center fielder Rodney Green Jr. might be a first-round pick in the 2024 Major League Baseball Draft. But he did not continue his upward trend in his junior year this past season.

As a result Green slipped to the second day of the MLB draft and was taken by the Oakland A's on Monday as the first pick of the fourth round, the 104th selection overall. (Green reacts to being drafted by the A's in the video atop the story.)

Green has all the physical tools needed to be a quality major-league player, He is fast, he hits with power and he is a excellent center fielder.

Green’s tools “are as good as anybody’s in the country,” Cal head coach Mike Neu told the San Francisco Chronicle.

He hit .293 with 14 home runs while recording 29 steals in 31 attempts as a sophomore i 2023. But instead of improving those numbers he struggled a bit in 2024 as a junior, hitting .267 with 14 homers while stealing 15 bases in 19 attempts.

Still the 6-foot-3, 200-pound, 21-year old Green has the look of a major-league player, if he can cut down on his strikeouts. He struck out 72 times this past season, and that was by far the most on the team.

The left-handed hitting Green has a high ceiling based on his potential and physical attributes, but he must reduce his swing-and-misses.

As the 104th overall pick, Green has a bonus slot value of $703,400. Click here for an explanation of what that means.

Green is from Richmond, Calif., and attended El Cerrito High Schol.

"It was great to see an East Bay native stay home and have so much success collegiately in his hometown," Neu said in a statement released by Cal. "He had a great three-year career at Cal, but he has only begun to scratch the surface on the type of baseball player he can become."

With their 4th-round pick (No. 104 overall), the @Athletics select @CalBaseball outfielder Rodney Green, No. 132 on the Top 250 Draft Prospects list.

Watch LIVE: https://t.co/tzt8Hes2Rj pic.twitter.com/I3GEDGwAXR

— MLB Draft (@MLBDraft) July 15, 2024

Green is the second Cal player to be taken in this year's MLB draft, joining catcher Caleb Lomavita, who was take with the 39th overall pick, by the Nationals, on Sunday.

A few other Cal players have a chance to be drafted, but it's possible that no other Golden Bears will be selected in the 20-round MLB draft.