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St. Louis Cardinals Select UCLA Pitcher Max Rajcic in 6th Round of MLB Draft

Just a few months after making the transition from closer to ace, Rajcic is on the verge of starting his professional career.

Benjamin Royer

The Bruins’ pitching factory has churned out another draft pick under coach John Savage.

The St. Louis Cardinals have selected UCLA baseball sophomore pitcher Max Rajcic with the No. 187 overall pick in the sixth round of the 2022 MLB Draft on Monday afternoon. Rajcic was the first Bruin to be selected, although UCLA commits pitcher Ian Ritchie Jr. and infielder Christopher Paciolla were selected before Rajcic came off the board.

The No. 187 pick in the draft had a slot value of $270,500. Rajcic now has the choice of signing St. Louis or returning to UCLA for his junior year.

Rajcic becomes the 19th UCLA pitcher to be taken in the top six rounds since Savage took over in 2005.

UCLA pitchers Jake Brooks, Jared Karros and Jake Saum are still on the board and are still awaiting their names to be called on Monday or Tuesday.

During his collegiate career in Westwood, Rajcic tossed 117.2 innings and posted a 10-6 record, a 2.83 ERA, a .212 batting average against and 128 strikeouts compared to 28 walks.

Joining the Bruins in 2020 as the team's closer, Rajcic earned seven saves in 24 appearances while boasting a 1.65 ERA. D1Baseball and Collegiate Baseball both named Rajcic a First Team Freshman All-American.

Rajcic opened the 2022 season as the Saturday starter. Eventually, when the injury bug hit the Bruins’ pitching staff, Rajcic shifted into the Friday night role, where he was relied on in high-profile matchups into the postseason.

The Fullerton, California, native had an 8-5 record, a 3.28 ERA, a .223 batting average against and 92 strikeouts in 85.0 innings of action.

Against Washington State on May 13, Rajcic’s season reached its peak with an eight-inning outing at Jackie Robinson Stadium. The righty threw 115 pitches, struck out 14 batters and only allowed one hit.

St. Louis' first three selections were all pitchers, the first of which was Oregon State's Cooper Hjerpe, who Rajcic outdueled in Corvallis on May 19. Hjerpe struck out 10 batters while allowing one earned run in 6.0 innings, compared to Rajcic's similar 6.0 innings of one-run ball with eight strikeouts. 

The Cardinals' first nine picks all hail from the college ranks.

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Benjamin Royer
BENJAMIN ROYER

Benjamin Royer is a contributing writer at All Bruins, in association with the FanNation and Sports Illustrated networks. Royer is a third-year student at UCLA, where he is a Sports contributor for the school's award-winning student-run newspaper, The Daily Bruin. Royer was previously the Sports Editor at The Valley Star, Los Angeles Valley College's independent newspaper, and he helped develop the Twinger Talk YouTube channel and The Double Play podcast. He is also a professional actor, previously appearing in programs on Showtime, ABC, Disney Channel, FOX and CBS.

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