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San Clemente graduate Chase Brunson was selected by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 18th round of the 2023 MLB Draft on Tuesday, July 11, in Seattle.
Brunson, who just turned 18 last week, was taken with the 544th overall pick and is the first player drafted directly out of San Clemente High School since Kolby Allard and Lucas Herbert were taken in the first and second rounds, respectively, in 2015.
If he signs with the Blue Jays, Brunson would become the fifth former Triton currently in professional baseball along with Allard (Atlanta Braves), Andre Pallante (St. Louis Cardinals), Michael McGreevy (Triple-A Memphis Redbirds) and Spencer Bramwell (Single-A Jupiter Hammerheads).
Brunson has the option to forego joining the Blue Jays and stick with his college commitment to Loyola Marymount. If he does so, Brunson could reenter the draft in 2025 after his sophomore season.
As a senior, Brunson led San Clemente in hits (42), runs (34), RBIs (22), walks (21), home runs (8) and triples (3) in 30 games played. Brunson hit for team highs with a .429 average, a .527 on-base percentage and a 0.816 slugging percentage. In 98 at-bats, he struck out only nine times, and Brunson stole nine bases on 10 attempts.
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