UC Irvine’s Myles Smith taken by Reds in MLB Draft
Myles Smith. (University of California, Irvine photo)
The 2024 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft began Sunday, and Day Two saw a record four University of California, Irvine Anteaters taken in the first 10 rounds in Caden Kendle, Woody Hadeen, Myles Smith and Dub Gleed. Nick Pinto rounded out the group of five Anteaters with his selection on Day Three.
Myles Smith made it three consecutive rounds with an Anteater selection and the first time UCI has had three picks in the first seven rounds with the Cincinnati Reds took him 209th overall in the seventh round.
Smith earned Big West Field Player of the Year in 2024 following in Kendle's footsteps as he hit .401 to lead the conference and just the fourth Anteater to hit over .400 in a season.
Smith added 10 home runs, including three 2-HR game, 49 RBIs, scored 56 runs and walked 50 times en route to Second Team All-American status, First Team All-West Region, First Team All-Big West, three-time Field Player of the Week and Corvallis All-Regional honors in a stellar junior season.
The Reds made their third selection of an Anteater all-time and first since Taylor Sparks went in the second round in 2014. Smith joins UCI great Justin Cassel as the only other Anteater to be selected in the seventh round.
All-time, 139 Anteaters have now been drafted including 38 in the first 10 rounds. Head Coach Ben Orloff has now produced 25 pro Anteaters with 22 through the draft in six seasons at the helm.
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