Rajcic Selected on Day Two of 2022 MLB Draft

Jul 18, 2022

LOS ANGELES – UCLA sophomore right-hander Max Rajcic was selected in the sixth round of the 2022 MLB Draft by the St. Louis Cardinals on Monday afternoon.

Rajcic becomes the 118th Bruin to be picked in the MLB Draft in 18 years under head coach John Savage. The Fullerton, Calif. native was the No. 187 overall selection in the 2022 MLB Draft.

Rajcic is coming off a strong two-year run in Westwood, making the Pac-12 All-Conference Team in each of the last two seasons. Combined, he's accrued a 10-6 record, 2.83 ERA, .212 batting average against, and 128 strikeouts over 117 2/3 innings

As a freshman in 2021, Rajcic served as the team's closer and pitched to a 1.65 ERA en route to Freshman All-America honors. In addition, he tied a freshman program record with seven saves.

Rajcic made a successful transition to the weekend rotation for the 2022 season, going 8-5 with a 3.28 ERA and 92 strikeouts in 85 innings on the way to All-Pac-12 and All-West Region accolades. He ranked top-five in the Pac-12 in wins, WHIP (1.09), ERA, and strikeouts, and was a two-time Pac-12 Pitcher of the Week. After starting off the year as the Saturday starter, he ascended to the Friday night role by year's end, starting the Bruins' Auburn Regional-opener against Florida State on Jun. 3.

His signature outing of the year came on May 13 against Washington State, as he struck out a career-high 14 batters while walking none and completing the first eight innings of a combined one-hitter. With that effort, he became the first Bruin pitcher under Coach Savage to strike out at least 14 batters in a game without issuing a walk. Rajcic was recognized as the National Pitcher of the Week by Perfect Game and the NCBWA after his gem against the Cougars.

In addition to Rajcic, a pair of UCLA commits have been picked over the first two days of the MLB Draft. Right-handed pitcher Ian Ritchie Jr. (Bainbridge HS / Bainbridge Island, Wash.) was selected No. 35 overall by the Atlanta Braves in Competitive Balance Round A, while infielder Chris Paciolla (Temecula Valley HS / Temecula, Calif.) was a third-round choice of the Chicago Cubs.

The 2022 MLB Draft concludes on Tuesday, starting at 11:00 a.m. PT, with rounds 11-20.