PHILADELPHIA – Six Auburn baseball players, including five pitchers, were selected on the second day of the MLB Draft Sunday in Philadelphia.
| Player | Round | Pick | Organization |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alex Petrovic | 6th | 181 | New York Mets |
| Ryan Hetzler | 7th | 199 | Los Angeles Angels |
| Eric Guevara | 7th | 205 | Miami Marlins |
| Drew Whalen | 9th | 280 | Seattle Mariners |
| Garrett Brewer | 12th | 344 | Colorado Rockies |
| Jett Johnston | 13th | 396 | Detroit Tigers |
Auburn has now had multiple top-10-round draft picks in a program record eight straight seasons, including a program record five top-10-round picks in back-to-back seasons. The Tigers have 30 top-10-round picks in 11 seasons under head coach Butch Thompson.
Petrovic served as Auburn’s game three starter for the entirety of the season and tied for the team lead with 10 wins, the most by an Auburn pitcher in a season since 2018 and tied for the third most in the SEC. After two injury-riddled seasons, he led the team with 92.2 innings pitched and turned in a 3.21 ERA to go along with 92 strikeouts and 24 walks while holding opponents to a .207 average against, helping him earn Dick Howser Trophy semifinalist honors. In 31 career appearances, including 22 starts, Petrovic turned in a 3.60 ERA and struck out 134 batters while issuing just 31 walks in 122.1 innings.
Hetzler made the second most appearances on the team in 2026 with 20 and tied for the team lead with three saves while going 4-2 with a 2.43 ERA. He struck out 38 batters and walked five in 37.0 innings. In Auburn’s regional comeback after dropping the opener, he earned a save with 3.0 scoreless innings to eliminate UCF before starting the next game against Milwaukee an hour later and allowing one run in 4.0 innings. In two seasons on the Plains, Hetzler made a team-high 39 appearances and logged 11 saves.
A team captain in 2026, Guevara turned in a .322 average and logged career highs in nearly every offensive category including hits (78), runs (50), doubles (12), home runs (13) and RBI (55). He played in 62 games, primarily at third base, and was a Rawlings Gold Glove Award finalist at the position while also earning All-SEC Defensive Team honors for the second straight season. Also a 2026 Dick Howser Trophy semifinalist, Guevara played in 119 games in three years and turned in a .310 average with 130 hits, including 25 doubles, 20 home runs and 95 RBI.
Whalen came to Auburn as the 2025 C-USA Pitcher of the Year and was a key piece of the Tigers’ bullpen prior to having his season shortened due to injury the opening weekend of Southeastern Conference play. In six appearances, Whalen went 1-0 with a 2.45 ERA and logged 11 strikeouts and six walks in 11.0 innings. He earned the win in his Auburn debut with 3.0 scoreless innings against Youngstown State.
Brewer came to Auburn after two years at Michigan State and ranked third on the team with 17 relief appearances while tying for the team lead with three saves in 2026. He went 1-2 with a 5.40 ERA and struck out 26 batters with nine walks in 18.1 innings. He earned saves in his Auburn debut against Youngstown State and SEC debut at Missouri and didn’t allow an earned run in five of his first six appearances of the season.
Johnston ranked fourth on the team with 15 relief appearances and registered career bests in nearly every pitching category including appearances, innings (24.0) and strikeouts (31) while walking just six batters. An extended reliever at the start of the season, Johnston logged multiple innings in five of his first eight appearances and allowed just four earned runs in his first 16.0 innings. Johnston made 26 appearances in two seasons and earned four wins to go along with a save.