Rutgers baseball will have even more former Scarlet Knights in the Major Leagues. On the third day of the 2024 MLB Draft, the Chicago White Sox selected left-handed pitcher Justin Sinibaldi in the 14th round with the 409th overall pick, and the Tampa Bay Rays selected infielder Tony Santa Maria with the 576th overall pick in the 19th round.
Sinibaldi, who is from Bridgewater, New Jersey, was Rutgers’ top starting pitcher last year. He was 4-4 with a 3.47 earned run average (ERA), 65 strikeouts, and kept opponents to a.225 batting average. Sinibaldi was selected Big Ten Pitcher of the Week and received All-Big Ten Third Team recognition.
Sinibaldi had a 12-6 record and a 4.14 ERA in 58 games with the Knights, striking out 163 hitters in 197.2 innings pitched and allowing a.257 batting average.
Santa Maria had a strong final season on the Banks, hitting.324 with a team-high 14 home runs and 55 RBI. The third baseman from Absecon, New Jersey, began his college career at Iona before switching to Rutgers his second season.
That season, Santa Maria cut.303 with 10 home runs and 69 RBI, the latter ranking third in program history for the most in a single season. Santa Maria sustained an injury and missed the majority of the 2023 season, although he still hit.315 with 24 home runs, 126 RBI, 22 stolen bases, and 116 runs scored.
The trio will join shortstop Josh Kuroda-Grauer, left-handed pitcher Donovan Zsak and former Knights Ryan Lakso and Drew Conover in the MLB. Kuroda-Grauer and Zsak were taken by the Oakland Athletics and Cleveland Guardians, respectively, on day one of the 2024 MLB Draft. The Athletics selected Lasko and Conover in last year’s MLB Draft.
Rutgers will look to continue producing top talent in order to win the Big Ten Championship in 2025 and return to the NCAA Tournament.
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