Oregon State junior KJ Harrison, a Punahou alumnus, was selected in the third round of the 2017 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft as the 84th overall pick of the Milwaukee Brewers on Tuesday.
Harrison, who was the Pac-12 freshman of the year in 2015 and played for Team USA twice, is hitting .330 with 13 doubles, eight homers and 39 RBIs for the No. 1-ranked Beavers, who will play in the College World Series beginning Saturday. Harrison homered twice to help Oregon State advance out of the Super Regionals with a two-game sweep of Vanderbilt.
Harrison is the highest draft pick with Hawaii ties since Waiakea’s Kodi Medeiros was taken No. 12 overall out of high school by Milwaukee in the ’14 draft and earned a $2.5 million signing bonus.
The Brewers, who have drafted a league-high 33 players with Hawaii ties in franchise history, also selected right-hander Jordan Yamamoto out of Saint Louis in the 12th round (No. 356 overall) that year. Yamamoto signed for $330,000 and is currently in Class-A Advanced with the Carolina Mudcats.
Harrison was drafted in the 25th round by the Cleveland Indians straight out of high school but decided to go to college.
The slot value for the 84th overall pick is $666,000.
Left-hander Ryley Widell, who pitched this past season at Central Arizona College after spending his freshman season at Washington State, was picked by the Minnesota Twins to lead off the seventh round at No. 196 overall.
Widell is the first King Kekaulike graduate ever selected in the MLB draft and the first player with Hawaii ties selected by the Twins since UH’s Sam Spangler in 2010.
Pomona-Pitzer second baseman Tanner Nishioka, an ‘Iolani alumnus, was taken in the ninth round (No. 281 overall) by the Boston Red Sox.
Nishioka, who became the highest draft pick in school history, hit .441 as a senior with 12 doubles, 18 homers and 53 RBIs.
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