Josh Kuroda-Grauer, Donovan Zsak selected by Athletics, Guardians in 2024 MLB Draft
Two more members of the Rutgers baseball team will fulfill their lifelong dreams of playing in the Major Leagues. Shortstop Josh Kuroda-Grauer and left-handed pitcher Donovan Zsak were the latest Scarlet Knights to hear their names called in the annual MLB Draft.
Kuroda-Grauer was drafted by the Oakland Athletics in the third round with the 75th overall selection. The Somerset, New Jersey, native had a stellar 2023 campaign where his .428 batting average put him at second-best across the nation. The shortstop led Rutgers with 95 hits and 24 stolen bases. He also drove in 45 runs and crossed the plate 54 times while hitting 5 home runs.
In almost every game, Kuroda-Grauer was able to make an impact. His 29 multi-hit games, paired with his 10 three-hit games, made him a player opposing pitchers had to be wary of. The junior impressively led the country with 1.79 hits per game.
Kuroda-Grauer earned multiple accolades at the conclusion of the 2024 season, including Big Ten Player of the Year, as well as being selected to the All-Big Ten First Team and Perfect Game’s First Team All-America.
"I feel like being able to get drafted and go play pro-ball, that's been something that I've been dreaming about since I was probably four years old," Kuroda-Grauer said at the start of the 2024 season.
He will now join former Knights Ryan Lasko and Drew Conover, who the Athletics selected in the 2023 MLB Draft just a year ago.
Zsak also landed another American League team in the Cleveland Guardians, which selected him in the eighth round with the 235th pick. Last season for Rutgers, the redshirt freshman appeared in 19 games, posting a 4.11 earned run average (ERA) and striking out 39 batters in 35 innings.
Zsak’s strong velocity kept opposing batters to just a .186 batting average against him, and the Scotch Plains, New Jersey, pitcher will look to replicate that during his time in the Guardians’ minor league system.
This is the third straight season that the Knights have had at least two players be selected in the top 11 rounds of the MLB Draft. Rutgers will look to keep producing more of its talent when the 2025 season rolls around.
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