Hawaii baseball coach Rich Hill has a few more holes to fill for next season.
Three juniors were selected on Day 2 of the Major League Baseball draft on Monday and indicated they will forego the rest of their college careers and turn pro.
Outfielder Matthew Miura, a Maryknoll alumnus, was selected with the 180th overall pick by the St. Louis Cardinals, right after Michigan signee and All-State Position Player of the Year Bruin Agbayani was selected out of Saint Louis School by the Minnesota Twins.
The final hour of the draft saw UH two-way player Itsuki Takemoto picked in the 19th round at No. 560 overall by the Athletics as a right-handed pitcher.
Another right-hander, Freddy Rodriguez, went in the 20th round at pick No. 601 to the Chicago Cubs.
Miura, who has one year of college eligibility remaining, led the Rainbows in batting average (.338), runs scored (53), hits (72) and stolen bases (18) last season.
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He is the third Spartan to get drafted in school history, joining Jordan Kurokawa in 2016 and Jacob Remily last year.
“It’s been a long road from where I started,” Miura said. “I had one goal in mind my whole career, and I worked every day toward it. Just grateful. Thanks to God, it all worked out.”
Miura described the Cardinals as a “great organization. … They develop their hitters well. Hopefully, I can give my all to them.”
Miura is the highest draft pick for a Rainbow Warrior since Jeremy Wu-Yelland was taken in the fourth round of the pandemic-shortened 2020 draft by the Boston Red Sox.
Takemoto, who made the All-Big West first team as a utility player this season, was named the Most Outstanding Pitcher in the Cape Cod League last summer, which boosted his draft stock despite his struggles on the mound this season with a 2-6 record and 5.75 ERA and 57 strikeouts to 22 walks in 671⁄3 innings.
“I’m going to sign with (the Athletics),” Takemoto said. “I love it. That’s so nice. I’ll just keep going. I love baseball. I think, how can I get better? And just keep going.”
Rodriguez has used his time in the Cape Cod League this summer to become a favorite of the Cubs, who took him with their final pick.
“I didn’t know when today (I would be drafted), but I had an idea that would be the team all along,” Rodriguez said. “They talked to me and watched me in the Cape. I knew they liked me. It was a matter of when I was going to get picked. The (round) didn’t matter to me. I’m ready to go get after it at the pro level.”
The right-hander led the Rainbows in appearances (26) and wins (7) while posting a 3.10 ERA with 52 strikeouts and 16 walks in 521⁄3 innings.
Rodriguez said he will sign but does not have the specifics of where/when to report:
“The Cubs’ rep “said just enjoy this one with the family today and we’ll send some stuff for me to get ready to go over there,” he said.
Rodriguez was in the living room with his family in California when he was informed.
“I got the call from my adviser that the Cubs would be grabbing me pretty soon, and how did I feel about it? I said, ‘Let’s do it,’” Rodriguez said. “I’m more ready for this than anything in my life.”
UH had three players selected in the same draft for the first time since Tyler Brashears, L.J. Brewster and Quintin Torres-Costa were taken in 2015.
Agbayani, the son of Benny Agbayani, who was selected in the 30th round of the 1993 draft, was named the Star-Advertiser All-State Position Player of the Year on Sunday after hitting .365 with an on-base percentage of .519. He slugged .714 with three homers, 15 RBIs and 22 runs scored while stealing 17 bases.
Agbayani was ranked as the No. 234 overall draft prospect by MLB.com. The slot value for his pick is $361,800. Miura, taken a pick later, has a slot value of $358,700.
Seven players with Hawaii ties were taken in this draft, which is the most since the draft was shortened to 20 rounds in 2021 after the onset of the pandemic.
Saint Louis and Oregon State alumnus Aiva Arquette was selected Sunday with the seventh overall pick by the Miami Marlins as the top college position player selected. Arkansas’ Wehiwa Aloy, a Baldwin alum, went 31st overall to the Baltimore Orioles that same day.
Jaxon Grossman, a King Kekaulike alumnus who pitched at Utah and Salt Lake Community College, was selected in the 16th round at No. 475 overall by the Texas Rangers.
Grossman, a 6-foot-4 right-handed pitcher, is the second King Kekaulike alum all time to get drafted, joining Ryley Widell in 2017.
UH lost a fourth junior later Monday when the school announced left-hander Cory Ronan had agreed to a free-agent deal with the Kansas City Royals.
Ronan went 4-2 with a 4.81 ERA and struck out 39 batters in 33 2⁄3 innings this past season.