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Astros select Cal catcher Korey Lee in MLB Draft

Korey Lee was a First Team All-Pac-12 selection after ranking seventh in the conference in RBI, tied for eighth in home runs and 10th in slugging percentage.
Credit: AP
California catcher Korey Lee bats during an NCAA college baseball game between the University of California and the University of Utah, Friday, May 5, 2019, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Tyler Tate)

HOUSTON – The Houston Astros selected University of California catcher Korey Lee with the 32nd overall pick in the first round of the June 2019 First-Year Player Draft.

The team also selected Ole Miss shortstop Grae Kessinger in the second round Monday night.

Lee, 20, hit .338 (67x198) with 12 doubles, 15 home runs, 57 RBI and a 1.045 OPS (.626 SLG/.419 OBP) in 50 games as a junior for the Golden Bears this season. He was a First Team All-Pac-12 selection after ranking seventh in the conference in RBI, tied for eighth in home runs and 10th in slugging percentage.

Lee was a semifinalist for the Buster Posey Award, which is given to the nation’s best collegiate catcher.

Kessinger, 21, has hit .332 (87x262) with 18 doubles, five home runs, 47 RBI and an .885 OPS (.458 SLG/.427 OBP) in 65 games as the junior starting shortstop for Ole Miss this season. He stole 16 bases, in 19 attempts, and recorded 40 walks, to just 32 strikeouts.

Kessinger made the First Team All-SEC and was a Third Team All-American. He’s also a finalist for the Brooks Wallace Award, which is presented annually to honor the nation’s most outstanding shortstop. Kessinger’s season continues, as Ole Miss swept through their home regional this weekend and will face Arkansas in the Super Regionals.

The draft will resume tomorrow (rounds 3-10) and Wednesday (rounds 11-40), with tomorrow’s selections starting at noon CT and Wednesday’s commencing at 11 a.m. CT. MLB.com will stream all 40 rounds of the 2019 Draft.

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