Cole Foster taken in 3rd round of MLB draft

The first member of Auburn’s 2023 roster has officially been drafted.

One day after two of Auburn’s top signees from the 2023 class were selected in the MLB draft, one of the Tigers’ top infielders joins the party.

[autotag]Cole Foster[/autotag] became the first member of Auburn’s roster to be selected in the MLB draft, going No. 85 overall to the San Francisco Giants.

Last week, D1Baseball named Foster the No. 43 college prospect ahead of the upcoming MLB draft after he finished within the team’s top five in average, hits, RBI, and home runs.

Giants Baseball Insider’s Mark Delluchi shares his initial thoughts on the Giants’ third-round choice:

Foster is coming off a breakout junior season at Auburn, hitting .336/.429/.570 with 13 home runs in 55 games. A switch-hitter, Foster does not have any tools that jump off the page but also has no clear weaknesses either. Defensively, Foster has played primarily shortstop and second base, although most evaluators are skeptical that he will be able to stick at short.

Foster does have intriguing power potential from both sides of the plate but has struggled to tap into it consistently because of a hit tool that lags behind the rest of his game. If Foster can refine his approach and more consistently square up opposing pitching, he could hit for enough power to be a viable everyday player, even if he’s limited to second base.

Several other players to watch for as the MLB draft continues is 3B [autotag]Bryson Ware[/autotag], P [autotag]Joseph Gonzalez[/autotag], and OF [autotag]Bobby Peirce[/autotag].

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