Pair of drafted Texas Tech baseball players sign with MLB teams

The Texas Tech baseball team will officially have to replace two of their top players for the 2025 season.

Kevin Bazzell and Cade McGee each signed contracts with the respective teams that selected them in the 2024 MLB Draft earlier this week. Bazzell went in the third round to the Washington Nationals, who used the 79th overall pick on the catcher. McGee, a ninth-round selection by the St. Louis Cardinals , signed as well.

Bazzell's deal is reportedly for the full slot value of $980,300. Bazzell was ranked 55th on MLB.com's prospect rankings prior to the draft but waited until the first pick on Monday to be taken by Washington.

Carlos Collazo of Baseball America reported on social media that McGee signed for more than his slot value. McGee was taken with the 261st overall pick, which had a slot value of $198,000. Collazo reported that the third baseman signed for $275,000.

Two other Red Raiders were taken in the later rounds of the draft . Pitcher Kyle Robinson went in the 11th round to the Oakland Athletics, while utility man Austin Green was taken in the 14th round by the New York Yankees. Robinson went 316th overall and Green 421st. Neither draft position has a slot value.

Bazzell (6-foot-1, 205 pounds) transferred to Texas Tech during the spring 2022 semester, spending the 2023 season mostly at third base before becoming Tech's primary catcher this season. He earned first team all-Big 12 honors in each of his two years with the Red Raiders, finishing the 2024 campaign with a .306 batting average, six home runs, 32 RBI and 13 doubles.

McGee transferred to Tech this past season after two years at Gonzaga, where he was named the West Coast Conference freshman of the year in 2022. He started 56 of the 57 games he appeared in with the Red Raiders, hitting .282 with a 1.030 OPS, totaling 15 home runs, 55 RBI and leading the team in walks drawn (37), hit by pitches (23) and on-base percentage (.450).

This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Pair of drafted Texas Tech baseball players sign with MLB teams