Oregon baseball: Houston Astros choose Bryce Boettcher in 2024 MLB Draft
By Ethan Lee
Bryce Boettcher now has an opportunity to continue his baseball career as a professional. That’s all thanks to the Houston Astros, who chose the Oregon Ducks’ outfielder in the 13th round of the 2024 MLB Draft.
The senior star from Eugene is yet another success story for Oregon baseball as the Ducks helped develop him into a professional prospect. His strong 2024 season certainly helped improve his chances of this happening.
Boettcher was picked up by Houston with the 403rd overall pick and he’s now just the third Ducks to be selected by the Astros organization in the MLB Draft, according to the official Oregon Ducks baseball press release.
The senior center fielder’s journey with the Ducks has certainly been a fun one to keep up with and a really cool one to look back on. It’s a story of consistent improvement and standout performances and a sudden, thrilling showcase throughout the 2024 Oregon baseball season.
Oregon Ducks baseball: Bryce Boettcher selected by Houston Astros in 13th round of 2024 MLB Draft
Boettcher went from hitting with a .152 batting average back in 2021 to recording a .276 batting average for the Ducks in 2024. On top of that, Boettcher's 2024 season was particularly impressive, as he posted career-high numbers across the board. He managed to hit 12 home runs and 35 RBIs throughout the season.
Considerably better than where he was when he started out with Oregon.
To add to that, Boettcher was also a star while fielding. He earned a spot on the 2024 ABCA/Rawlings Gold Glove Team and the Pac-12 Conference All-Defensive Team.
During his four seasons with the Oregon Ducks baseball team, Boettcher recorded a .242 career batting average, 14 home runs, and 48 RBIs. His final 56 games were very clearly the best 56 games of his career.
Now Boettcher has a chance to continue to grow with the Houston Astros organization. It’s not a guarantee, of course, but the 2024 Oregon baseball season made it clear that Boettcher has some intriguing potential and a well-rounded skill set that has to be intriguing to the folks in the Bayou City.