PORTLAND, Ore. — B.Y. Choi of the Port Angeles Lefties was drafted by the San Diego Padres in the 20th round of the 2023 Major League Baseball annual Rule 4 Amateur Draft.
Choi, a native of Seoul, South Korea, played at the New Mexico Military Institute in Roswell, N.M., and has transferred to Dallas Baptist University.
This year, Choi is hitting .194 (18-for-93) for the Lefties. He was arguably the team’s best player in 2022, leading the team in home runs, walks and runs scored. He hit .281 with four home runs, 16 RBIs, eight doubles, 22 runs scored and 24 walks in 42 games.
This past year, he had a spectacular season with the New Mexico Military Institute, hitting .448 with 15 home runs, 20 doubles, 11 triples, 80 RBIs, 45 walks and 10 stolen bases in just 58 games.
A total of 40 current and former West Coast League players were selected in the MLB draft, including a number of players who have played at Civic Field in Port Angeles.
UCLA right-hander Alonzo Tredwell became the first former WCL player taken in this year’s draft when he was chosen in the second round by the Houston Astros. Tredwell pitched for the Portland Pickles in 2021 before an impressive two-year career with the Bruins.
In six of the last seven years, a player with WCL experience has been snagged in the first round, including former No. 1 overall pick and 2023 MLB All-Star Adley Rutschman of the Baltimore Orioles. He played with the Corvallis Knights in 2016.
“Each year, the MLB Draft further illustrates the wealth of talent we’re blessed with every summer in all our markets. The quality and volume of draft picks with WCL ties makes it clear that we’re the top collegiate summer league in western North America,” said West Coast League Commissioner Rob Neyer.
Current and former WCL players drafted this week:
2nd round — Alonzo Tredwell, UCLA, Portland, Houston Astros.
3rd round — Kade Morris, Nevada, Bend, New York Mets.
4th round — Skyler Hales, Santa Clara, Wenatchee, Texas Rangers; Joe Redfield, Sam Houston, Victoria, Los Angeles Angels.
6th round — Bennett Lee, Wake Forest, Bellingham, Detroit Tigers.
7th round — Nate Nankil, Cal State Fullerton, Corvallis, Oakland A’s; John Peck, Pepperdine, Ridgefield, Detroit Tigers; Owen Wild, Gonzaga, Yakima Valley, Tampa Bay Rays; Charles Harrison, UCLA, Walla Walla, St. Louis Cardinals; Kiko Romero, Arizona, Corvallis, New York Yankees; Joey Dixon, Stanford, Bellingham, Houston Astros.
8th round — Jace Stoffal, Oregon, Springfield, Minnesota Twins; Drew Dowd, Stanford, Corvallis, Tampa Bay Rays; Jonah Advincula, Washington State, Corvallis, Cleveland Guardians; Quincy Scott, Palomar College, Ridgefield, Texas Rangers.
10th round — Case Matter, Washington, Yakima Valley, Texas Rangers; Morris Austin, Houston Christian, Portland, Milwaukee Brewers; Josh Mollerus, Oregon, Portland, Toronto Blue Jays.
11th round — Max Martin, Oregon, Walla Walla, Texas Rangers; Stu Flesland III, Washington, Yakima Valley/Walla Walla, Colorado Rockies; Rikuu Nishida, Oregon, Cowlitz, Chicago White Sox.
12th round — Sam Brown, Washington State, Cowlitz, Los Angeles Angels; Bjorn Johnson, Auburn, Cowlitz, Milwaukee Brewers.
13th round — Jacob Bresnahan, Oregon, Portland, Cleveland Guardians.
15th round — Will Simpson, Washington, Bellingham, Oakland A’s; Darius Perry, UCLA, Portland, Colorado Rockies; Phoenix Call, UCLA, Corvallis, Boston Red Sox.
16th round — Ryan Brown, Oregon State, Corvallis, Oakland A’s; Cole Urman, Cal State Fullerton, Ridgefield, Baltimore Orioles; Sam Whiting, UC Santa Barbara, Bend, San Diego Padres.
17th round — Mikey Kane, Oregon State, Ridgefield, Chicago White Sox; Jacob Sharp, UNLV, Ridgefield, Seattle Mariners.
18th round — Coby Morales, Washington, Ridgefield, New York Yankees.
19th round — Derek Salata, Illinois State, Victoria, Oakland A’s; Elijah Ickes, Hawaii, Nanaimo, Texas Rangers; Caden Connor, Cal State Fullerton, Ridgefield, Chicago White Sox.
20th round — Diego Barrera, Loyola Marymount, Bellingham, Oakland A’s; Peyton Stumbo, Nevada, Yakima Valley, Pittsburgh Pirates; Robert Orloski, UTSA, Bend, Boston Red Sox; B.Y. Choi, New Mexico Military Institute, Port Angeles, San Diego Padres.
Non-drafted free agents — Kelly Austin, UCLA, Cowlitz, Houston Astros; Hudson Leach, Miami (OH), Ridgefield, Houston Astros; Dakota Hawkins, Washington State, Victoria, New York Mets; Will McGillis, South Carolina, Bellingham, Los Angeles Angels; Trent Sellers, Oregon State, Walla Walla/Wenatchee, New York Yankees.
