Former Bob Jones baseball star Slate Alford drafted by Angels

Former Bob Jones High School baseball star Slate Alford is on a path to the majors, as he was selected in the ninth round yesterday in the Major League Baseball draft.

An interesting twist in it is that he was selected by the Los Angeles Angels, meaning he could end up playing minor league ball in his hometown.

Slate Alford selected by Los Angeles Angels

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Alford wrapped up his senior season at the University of Georgia having played all 60 games with the Bulldogs. He was a First Team All-SEC selection after batting .331 with 16 doubles, two triples, 19 home runs and 63 RBI.

In his two years at UGA, he compiled a .314 average with 160 hits, 29 doubles, two triples, 36 home runs and 132 RBI.

The third baseman started his collegiate career at Mississippi State, transferring after his sophomore season.

In high school, Alford played for coach Jared Smith and graduated in 2021 with a bevy of accolades on his baseball resume:

• Named a 2021 Rawlings-Perfect Game Third Team Senior Preseason All-American
• Rated as the No. 1-rated third baseman in Alabama and No. 11 in the country by Perfect Game
• Hit .464 with 17 doubles, 14 home runs and 49 RBI as a senior for the Patriots
• Hit .400 during the shortened 2020 junior season with a .589 on base percentage and a .720 slugging percentage

His selection by the Los Angeles Angels, the parent cloud to the Rocket City Trash Pandas, is a fortunate coincidence, as Toyota Field is just over four miles away from where Alford played high school ball at Bob Jones.

Check out other in-state players selected in the MLB draft.

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