FULLERTON, Calif. – Cal State Fullerton starting shortstop Richy Pedroza was the fourth and the final selection for the Titans in the 2013 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft, after he was picked by the St. Louis Cardinals in 17th round (515 overall).
Pedroza, the 2013 Big West Defensive Player of the Year, was the first Titan to notch the newly-added award last month. The senior shortstop from Covina, Calif., has totaled 177 assists, and is a two-time Big West First Team selection.
As a member of the Big West's third-best defense, Pedroza has fielded 26 double plays, tallied 66 putouts and recorded a .960 fielding percentage.
At the plate, Pedroza is Fullerton's leadoff batter, and is hitting .269 on the season with a .394 on-base percentage. He has scored 48 runs and totaled 59 hits, eight doubles, four triples, one home run and 24 RBIs.
Pedroza is the second in his family to be drafted out of Cal State Fullerton. Older brother Sergio Pedroza was a third-round pick by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 2005 MLB Draft. Richy's older brother Jaime Pedroza is currently playing for the Mississippi Braves, the Double-A affiliate of Atlanta.
The Titans' four selections mark the 39th consecutive year that Cal State Fullerton has had at least one player selected in the MLB Draft. Michael Lorenzen was selected by the Cincinnati Reds (38th overall, sandwich 1-2) on Thursday night while Chad Wallach (fifth round, 142 overall) and Carlos Lopez (10th round, 292overall) were selected by the Miami Marlins.