Oregon baseball: Ducks RHP RJ Gordon snagged by New York Mets in 2024 MLB Draft
By Ethan Lee
After a productive 2024 Oregon baseball season, right-handed pitcher RJ Gordon now has a chance to continue his baseball career by moving on to the New York Mets. That’s because the Mets picked the Ducks’ Friday night starter in the 13th round of the 2024 MLB Draft.
Gordon, a junior right-handed pitcher from Santa Clarita, California, became the third Oregon baseball player to ever get selected by the Mets organization, according to Oregon’s official press release. As the Ducks athletic department noted, Gordon joined the likes of Ron Delplanche and David Peterson who were drafted by the New York Mets organization in 1965 and 2017 respectively.
The Mets chose Gordon with the 383rd overall pick of the 2024 MLB Draft.
Oregon Ducks baseball: New York Mets select Ducks RHP RJ Gordon in 13th round of 2024 MLB Draft
As the Friday night starter for the Ducks in 2024, Gordon was clearly a key figure in Oregon's pitching rotation. It shouldn’t shock anyone that he managed to lead the Pac-12 with 17 starts on the mound this season (good for 11th-most nationally).
Gordon’s ERA wasn’t exactly the best, but he was still pretty solid and consistent throughout the season. He also managed to strike out 87 batters through 94.2 innings pitched. And as a result, he was an honorable mention on the Pac-12 All-Conference team.
There’s some room for improvement there, but clearly the Mets see some potential in what Gordon brings to the table.
Gordon was one of four Ducks to get picked up on the final day of the 2024 MLB Draft, which turned out to be pretty decent for the Oregon baseball team. Along with Gordon, catcher Bennett Thompson and center fielder Bryce Boettcher were both selected in the 13th round of the MLB Draft.
Gordon also wasn’t the only Oregon pitcher selected in the draft. The Seattle Mariners selected Brock Moore in the seventh round and the Los Angeles Dodgers chose Isaac Ayun in the 18th round.