AUSTIN, Texas – Texas Baseball first baseman Ivan Melendez has been selected with the 43rd overall pick by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the 2022 Major League Baseball Draft.
Melendez swept the national player of the year awards in 2022 and became the Longhorns’ first Golden Spikes Award winner. He batted .387 and led the nation with a program record 32 home runs. He also led the country with 94 RBI, an .863 slugging percentage and 214 total bases.
The El Paso, Texas product was named the Big 12 Player of the Year after leading the league with a .432 batting average and 14 homers in conference games. He was named a First Team All-Big 12 selection as a well as a First Team All-American.
For his Texas career, Melendez batted .356 with 45 homers, 31 doubles, 145 RBI and 113 runs scored. His 45 career homers rank as the third-most ever at Texas and his .746 slugging percentage is also the best in program history. His career batting average of .356 and his .477 on-base percentage both rank ninth in Texas history.
Melendez is the second-straight Longhorn to be drafted on the first day of the MLB Draft after Ty Madden was taken with the 32nd pick of the 2021 MLB Draft.
Texas Baseball signee Cutter Coffey from Bakersfield, Calif. was also selected with the 41st overall pick by the Boston Red Sox.
The 2022 MLB First-Year Player Draft covers three days. Rounds 3-10 will occur on Monday followed by Rounds 11-20 on Tuesday.
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