The Colorado Rockies selected University of Georgia junior third baseman/closer Aaron Schunk in the second round (62ndoverall pick) of the 2019 Major League Baseball Draft Monday.
A 6-2, 205-pound native of Atlanta, Ga., Schunk earned the “Triple Crown” for the seventh-ranked Bulldogs, leading the team with a .339 average, 15 home runs and 58 RBI. He became the first Georgia player to do that since 2010 (Zach Cone, .363-10-53). Also, Schunk served as the closer, tallying 12 saves to go with a 1-2 mark and 2.49 ERA in 17 appearances.
For the second straight year, Schunk has been named a finalist for the John Olerud Award (nation’s top two-way player) by the College Baseball Foundation. The Rockies selected Schunk as a third baseman.
Schunk started 56 games at third base as Georgia finished 46-17 this past season. The team earned a National No. 4 seed for the NCAA Championships and advanced to the NCAA Athens Regional Final this past Sunday. Schunk made the regional All-Tournament team after batting .375 with four home runs and 13 RBI in four games. An All-Southeastern Conference pick by the league coaches this year, Schunk has played in 154 games with 153 starts in his Bulldog career.
He steadily improved as a Bulldog, hitting .290-1-18 as a freshman in 37 games and then .299-3-38 as a sophomore in 60 games last year before a breakout season in 2019. He earned Third Team All-America honors as a utility player by the NCBWAin 2018. A three-year member of the SEC Academic Honor Roll, he also was named to the 2019 SEC Community Service Team for his efforts off the field.
Schunk becomes the highest drafted Bulldog since 2016 when pitcher Robert Tyler went in the first round (38thoverall) to the Rockies.
The MLB Draft runs through Wednesday. The first two rounds were conducted Monday with rounds three through 11 on Tuesday and rounds 12-40 on Wednesday. The Bulldogs have a string of 46 straight seasons with at least one player signing a professional contract. In 2018, three Bulldogs were drafted and a total of four began a professional career.
