Bouchard Called Up by Colorado Rockies

DENVER – UCLA baseball alum Sean Bouchard had his contract selected by the Colorado Rockies on Wednesday, putting him in line to be the next Bruin to make his Major League Baseball debut.

Bouchard becomes the 87th UCLA baseball player all-time to reach the Majors, and the 24th coached by current UCLA head coach John Savage.

He is the second UCLA product to earn his first-ever MLB call-up from the Rockies this week, joining right-handed pitcher Jake Bird, who coincidentally made his Big League Debut on Wednesday afternoon.

In addition, at least one player from every UCLA team from 1965-2018 has competed in MLB, a span of 53 consecutive years.

Bouchard primarily played first base at UCLA, and has seen time at first base and both corner-outfield positions this year with Triple-A Albuquerque.

A ninth-round pick by Colorado in the 2017 MLB Draft, Bouchard has slashed .279/.352/.490 over five professional seasons in the Rockies' system. He had stepped up his production this year in Triple-A, producing career-highs in each slash category (.338/.430/.683) alongside 11 home runs and 34 RBIs in just 37 games.

At the time of his promotion, Bouchard had an active streak of 25 consecutive games having reached base safely. Over that streak, which started Apr. 24, Bouchard slashed .398/.496/.828 with 10 home runs, 26 RBIs, and seven stolen bases.

A San Diego native, Bouchard batted .289 over 137 career games at UCLA, adding 13 home runs and 88 RBIs. The Bruins' primary first baseman in both 2016 and 2017, Bouchard earned All-Pac-12 accolades as a junior after hitting .306 with 43 RBIs and a team-high 39 runs scored.

This won't be Bouchard's first time in a Rockies uniform, as he made three appearances with the big club during Spring Training 2022, going a combined 0-5 with one run scored.

Bird had a solid MLB debut on Wednesday at Coors Field, tossing a 1-2-3 ninth inning against the Cleveland Guardians. He got a fly ball to right from the first batter he faced – Myles Straw – before inducing back-to-back soft grounders to end the inning.

Stay tuned to @UCLABaseball on Twitter for all team updates.