[wpbvideo id=”900588″]
Former Kickapoo star baseball player Mason Auer was selected by the Tampa Bay Rays in the fifth round of the MLB draft. He was picked No. 161 overall.
The approximate value of that pick is $321,000 according to the draft tracker on MLB.com.
Auer, a 2019 graduate of Kickapoo, was selected by the Chicago Cubs in the 39th round out of high school. He opted to attend Missouri State. Auer saw three innings on the mound and nine at-bats before COVID shut down his freshman season.
The former Class 5 First-Team All-State Pitcher and 2019 Ozark Conference Pitcher of the Year elected to transfer from Missouri State to San Jacinto Junior College.
At San Jacinto, Auer played in 64 games with 11 home runs, 56 RBI, 60 runs scored and 34 stolen bases while being caught just three times. He hit .373 with a .525 on-base percentage that helped him to a 1.152 OPS. He threw nine innings with 13 strikeouts and two saves on the mound. His ERA was 3.00.
He was named a JUCO Third-Team All-American in the outfield.
In high school, Auer completed his senior year with a a 6-1 record over 44.1 innings pitched with 78 strikeouts on the mound. He posted a 0.79 ERA and a 1.42 WHIP. He hit 2 home runs with 15 RBI, 36 runs scored and 27 walks. His averages were .321 batting average, .469 on-base percentage and a 1.031 OPS.
