The Arizona Diamondbacks selected University of Texas (UT) first baseman Ivan Melendez with the 43rd overall pick in the 2022 Major League Baseball (MLB) Draft on Sunday, per a school-issued press release.
Arizona’s selection of the El Paso-born Melendez, whose nickname is “The Hispanic Titanic,” follows a year in which the infielder imposed his will at the plate for the Longhorns and earned every player of the year accolade for his redshirt junior season.
“Hook 'em,” the Diamondbacks tweeted. “Ivan Melendez is going from Burnt Orange to Sedona Red.”
In Melendez, the Diamondbacks get a slugger whom USA Baseball head Paul Seller said, Austin Journal reported last month, had “a season to remember for baseball fans” by smashing over 30 home runs (HR) in 2022.
Not only did the infielder become the nation’s leader in the category but he established himself as UT’s new longball king, surpassing Kyle Russel's 28 almost 15 years ago by two.
Melendez, who joined the Longhorns via Odessa College, helped guide UT to its 38th overall National College Athletic Association (NCAA) College World Series (CWS) appearance.
Among the honors from his whirlwind final season in Austin are the 2022 Golden Spikes Award and the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association's (NCBWA) Dick Howser Award in addition to Big XII Conference Player of the Year and national player of the year for two publications.
It wasn’t the first time Melendez heard his named called in the MLB Draft.
Citing Austin NBC affiliate KXAN, Austin Journal reported that he was a 16th-pick of the Miami Marlins but eschewed the pros to return to the Longhorns.
Diamondbacks scouting director Ian Rebhan said in a report on the team’s website that his organization took a chance on Melendez because of what he can do and has done at bat.
“Anytime you got a chance to add that type of right-handed power to your organization, I think it's super valuable," Rebhan said, adding that the team could have Melendez man the third base position in the future.