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Oregon baseball: Catcher Bennett Thompson picked by Cleveland Guardians in MLB Draft

In the 13th round of the 2024 MLB Draft, Oregon Ducks baseball's very own Bennett Thompson was selected by the Cleveland Guardians.

By Ethan Lee

May 31, 2024; Santa Barbara, CA, USA; Oregon pitcher Logan Mercado (20) celebrates with catcher Bennett Thompson (16) after defeating San Diego 5-4 in extra innings of an NCAA Baseball Santa Barbara Regional game at Caesar Uyesaka Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-USA TODAY Sports
May 31, 2024; Santa Barbara, CA, USA; Oregon pitcher Logan Mercado (20) celebrates with catcher Bennett Thompson (16) after defeating San Diego 5-4 in extra innings of an NCAA Baseball Santa Barbara Regional game at Caesar Uyesaka Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-USA TODAY Sports / Kiyoshi Mio-USA TODAY Sports
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Yet another Oregon Ducks baseball star was picked up in the 2024 MLB Draft. This time it was junior catcher Bennett Thompson, who was picked up by the Cleveland Guardians in the 13th round of the 2024 MLB Draft. Thompson is now the 70th Oregon baseball player to get selected in the MLB Draft dating back to 2009, according to the official Oregon Ducks baseball press release.

Interestingly enough, Thompson was one of three Oregon Ducks who managed to get picked up during the 13th round of the 2024 MLB Draft. RJ Gordon and Bryce Boettcher were both also selected during the 13th round.

As the official Oregon baseball press release notes, Thompson is the second Duck to ever get selected by Cleveland.

Oregon Ducks baseball: Bennett Thompson selected by Cleveland Guardians in 13th round of 2024 MLB Draft

Thompson was a key reason why the 2024 Oregon baseball season was as good as it was (he played a huge role in helping the Ducks make it all the way to the Bryan-College Station Super Regional against the national runner up Texas A&M Aggies) and it’s becoming evident that the 2024 MLB Draft is becoming a pretty big deal for Oregon.

Thompson was the third Duck to get picked up in the 2024 edition of the MLB Draft and this is the sixth straight year that Oregon has had at least four players selected in the MLB Draft.

During the 2024 season, Oregon’s junior catcher proved to be an incredibly consistent hitter. He may not have hit many home runs (he only had three on the season), but Thompson did have an impressive .286 batting average.

Combine that with the fact that Thompson was solid behind the plate and it makes plenty of sense why the Guardians organization might want him in their system. He’s got a proven track record of being a steady performer and that matters.