MINNEAPOLIS -- The University of Minnesota baseball team had a pair of Gophers selected in the Major League Baseball Draft on Monday. George Klassen (Round 6, No. 193) and Brett Bateman (Round 8, No. 236) were both chosen during day two of the draft at Lumen Field in Seattle, Wash.
The selections extend the Gophers Big Ten record of consecutive draft picks to 36 straight years. No other conference opponent has a draft streak longer than 12 years.
Right-handed pitcher George Klassen was selected by the Philadelphia Phillies with the 193rd overall pick in the sixth round. He is the 11th Gopher pitcher to be drafted since 2017, and the highest drafted pitcher since Max Meyer (No. 3 overall, 2020).
The 6-foot-2 Saturday starter for Minnesota made 14 appearances (13 starts) in 2023, striking out 49 batters. He allowed 36 earned runs in 53.1 innings and held opponents to a .222 average. His performance on March 18 against Houston garnered him Big Ten Pitcher of the Week honors after he punched out eight batters, allowing just one hit and zero earned runs in 7.2 innings.
Heading into the 2023 season, Klassen was ranked as top 10 B1G prospect by both D1Baseball and Perfect Game. After returning from a season-ending injury in his first season, he has made 25 appearances (17 starts), striking out 57 batters in 64.1 innings pitched for his career.
Klassen joins Brett Schulze (2017-2019) and former Head Student Manager Thomas Knauss (2018-2020) in the Phillies organization.
Outfielder Brett Bateman was selected by the Chicago Cubs in the eighth round of the MLB Draft with the 236th pick. He is the highest drafted Gopher center fielder in the John Anderson era since Jay Kvasnicka (1986-1988) was drafted with the 207th pick in the eighth round of the 1988 MLB Draft.
A native of Arden Hills, Minn., Bateman earned his first career All-Big Ten honor for the Gophers in 2023. In 50 games this season, he led the team in batting average (.354), hits (67), and stolen bases (17). On the defensive side, the center fielder had a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage and five outfield assists.
Named a 2022 Collegiate Baseball Newspaper Player to Watch, Bateman was ranked by Perfect Game as the No. 35 Big Ten prospect prior to the 2023 season. In 128 career games, he has maintained a .319 average, collecting 153 hits in 480 at bats.
Bateman is the first Gopher to be drafted by the Cubs since Brian Glowicki (Round 10, 2017). He joins former teammate Zack Raabe (2019-2021) as the last two position players to be drafted out of Minnesota. Raabe was selected with the 237th pick, one slot behind Bateman, in the 2021 MLB Draft.
The final day of the MLB Draft will begin July 11 at 1:00 p.m. CT with rounds 11-20.
The selections extend the Gophers Big Ten record of consecutive draft picks to 36 straight years. No other conference opponent has a draft streak longer than 12 years.
Right-handed pitcher George Klassen was selected by the Philadelphia Phillies with the 193rd overall pick in the sixth round. He is the 11th Gopher pitcher to be drafted since 2017, and the highest drafted pitcher since Max Meyer (No. 3 overall, 2020).
The 6-foot-2 Saturday starter for Minnesota made 14 appearances (13 starts) in 2023, striking out 49 batters. He allowed 36 earned runs in 53.1 innings and held opponents to a .222 average. His performance on March 18 against Houston garnered him Big Ten Pitcher of the Week honors after he punched out eight batters, allowing just one hit and zero earned runs in 7.2 innings.
Heading into the 2023 season, Klassen was ranked as top 10 B1G prospect by both D1Baseball and Perfect Game. After returning from a season-ending injury in his first season, he has made 25 appearances (17 starts), striking out 57 batters in 64.1 innings pitched for his career.
Klassen joins Brett Schulze (2017-2019) and former Head Student Manager Thomas Knauss (2018-2020) in the Phillies organization.
Outfielder Brett Bateman was selected by the Chicago Cubs in the eighth round of the MLB Draft with the 236th pick. He is the highest drafted Gopher center fielder in the John Anderson era since Jay Kvasnicka (1986-1988) was drafted with the 207th pick in the eighth round of the 1988 MLB Draft.
A native of Arden Hills, Minn., Bateman earned his first career All-Big Ten honor for the Gophers in 2023. In 50 games this season, he led the team in batting average (.354), hits (67), and stolen bases (17). On the defensive side, the center fielder had a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage and five outfield assists.
Named a 2022 Collegiate Baseball Newspaper Player to Watch, Bateman was ranked by Perfect Game as the No. 35 Big Ten prospect prior to the 2023 season. In 128 career games, he has maintained a .319 average, collecting 153 hits in 480 at bats.
Bateman is the first Gopher to be drafted by the Cubs since Brian Glowicki (Round 10, 2017). He joins former teammate Zack Raabe (2019-2021) as the last two position players to be drafted out of Minnesota. Raabe was selected with the 237th pick, one slot behind Bateman, in the 2021 MLB Draft.
The final day of the MLB Draft will begin July 11 at 1:00 p.m. CT with rounds 11-20.
