Blue Jays draft Tulane's Will McAffer

North Shore Twins grad RHP Will McAffer (North Vancouver, BC) was selected by the Blue Jays in the 25th round.

NEW ORLEANS – Tulane baseball junior right-hander Will McAffer and sophomore third baseman Kody Hoese were selected in the 25th and 35th rounds, respectively, of the 2018 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft on Wednesday.
 
McAffer, a native of North Vancouver, British Columbia, was selected by the Toronto Blue Jays with the 746th overall pick of the draft. A junior college transfer, McAffer made 23 appearances and one start for the Green Wave in 2018. He struck out 26 batters in 28 2/3 innings and earned two saves. He pitched an immaculate inning – striking out all three batters with nine pitches – against UNO on April 3, and induced a triple play against Texas Southern on April 24.
 
Hoese, a draft-eligible sophomore from Griffith, Ind., was selected by the Kansas City Royals with the 1,052nd overall pick of the draft. He started all 58 games at third base in 2018 and hit .291, improving his batting average nearly 80 points from his freshman to sophomore seasons. This year, he compiled 34 RBI and 34 runs scored, and added five home runs, 13 doubles, two triples and four steals. He recorded multiple hits in 20 games and multiple RBI 10 times.
 
McAffer and Hoese join Grant Witherspoon (fourth round, 120th overall) as the three Tulane players selected in the 2018 MLB Draft. McAffer is the seventh Green Wave player drafted by the Blue Jays, and first since Aaron Loup was a ninth-round pick in 2009. Hoese is the fifth Tulane player drafted by the Royals, and first since Alex Massey was a 36th-round selection in 2016.