DENVER — Sneaking in during the final round of day two of the 2021 MLB First Year Player Draft, the Saint Mary's Gaels received the distinct honor of having the final selection of the afternoon. Senior right-handed closer Michael Hobbs was chosen by the defending World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers with the 312^th overall pick in the draft, giving Saint Mary's two selections during the second day of the draft.
 
Michael Hobbs was one of two Gael relievers to take home WCC Honorable Mention honors after his fantastic senior season. The right-hander battled his way back from Tommy John surgery last season to reclaim his role as the SMC closer and was lights-out. Hobbs finished tied for third in the conference in saves with six, while featuring a miniscule 0.72 earned run average, allowing just two earned runs all year in 25 innings, with just one of those runs coming across in conference play. Hobbs struck out 28 on the season compared to just 10 walks, and ends his Saint Mary's career with 25 saves, the most in Saint Mary's history.
 
"He is the rare mix of a professional worker and genuinely good teammate," says his head coach, Greg Moore. "Everyone one of his coaches and teammates were fist pumping when Michael was taken by the Dodgers."
 
If he can make it to the major leagues, it will not be the first time in his career that he has pitched at Dodger Stadium. When Hobbs was at Corona High School, the Panthers won the 2017 Big VIII title and made it to the California Interscholastic Federation Southern Section Division I championship game which took place at Dodger Stadium. Hobbs pitched in that game for the Panthers, and now is set to return after a successful four seasons in Moraga.
 
The Dodgers are the defending champions of Major League Baseball, winning the 2020 World Series title in Texas last year, their first title since 1988. The Dodgers have been perennial favorites in the National League West for the last several seasons, but enter the All-Star break in second place behind the San Francisco Giants. On their active roster is Tony Gonsolin, who was a 2016 draft pick out of Saint Mary's.
 
Los Angeles has minor league affiliates scattered throughout the United States, including their Low-A club in Rancho Cucamonga (Quakes). There are three affiliates of the Dodgers located near the Midwest, with the Great Lakes Loons (High-A), Tulsa Drillers (AA), and Oklahoma City Dodgers (AAA) all holding active affiliations with the club.
 
Hobbs marks the ninth player to get drafted out of Saint Mary's to the Los Angeles Dodgers, beginning with William Kooyman in the tenth round of the 1972 MLB Draft. In more recent iterations, Joe Vranesh was the last Gael to become a Dodger, being taken in the 15^th round by Los Angeles in 2019.
 
With teammate Ky Bush being chosen by the Los Angeles Angels in the second round earlier on Monday, the Gaels have two picks in the top ten rounds of the MLB Draft for the first time since 2017, and for just the third time in school history (2017, 2016, 2012).
 
The remaining 10 rounds of the 2021 MLB First Year Player Draft will take place on Tuesday.