BY DANIEL SCHMIDT
THE OBSERVER
AUBURN — Seven Auburn baseball players were selected during the 2026 MLB Draft over the weekend, tying for the second-most Tigers selected in a single draft since 2018.
Outfielder Chris Rembert headlined the group, as the Pittsburgh Pirates selected him in the second round with the 51st overall pick on Saturday, July 11.
The class extended two program streaks: a 52nd straight draft with at least one Tiger selected, dating to 1975 and tied for the longest in the SEC, and an 11th consecutive year with a top-five-round pick under head coach Butch Thompson, a program record.
Thompson has now overseen 56 draft selections in 11 seasons.
Rembert, the sixth-highest pick of the Thompson era, hit a team-best .343 as a sophomore with 80 hits, 13 doubles, four homers, 46 RBIs and 12 steals, closing on a 19-game hitting streak, Auburn’s longest since Anfernee Greier’s 22-game run in 2016.
The 2025 consensus Freshman All-American and 2026 First Team All-SEC pick from Pensacola, Florida, leaves with a .344 career average, 152 hits, 14 homers and 92 RBIs over 115 games.
Six more Tigers, five of them pitchers, went Sunday, pushing the record books further.
Auburn has now had multiple top-10-round picks in eight straight drafts, including back-to-back classes with a school-record five, and 30 in all under Thompson.
Right-hander Alex Petrovic, whom the New York Mets selected in the sixth round with the 181st pick, led the group, tying for the team lead with 10 wins, the most by a Tiger since 2018. He posted a 3.21 ERA and 92 strikeouts over a team-high 92 ⅔ innings while also finishing as a Dick Howser Trophy semifinalist.
Reliever Ryan Hetzler, whom the Los Angeles Angels selected in the seventh round with the 199th pick, tied to lead the team with three saves and went 4-2 with a 2.43 ERA across 37 innings. He capped the regional tournament by saving the elimination win over UCF and then starting an hour later in a game where he allowed one run in four frames.
Third baseman Eric Guevara, whom the Miami Marlins selected in the seventh round with the 205th pick, was a team captain and Rawlings Gold Glove Award finalist who hit .322 with 13 homers and 55 RBIs and leaves the Tigers as a .310 career hitter.
Three more right-handers rounded out the class. Drew Whalen, whom the Seattle Mariners selected in the ninth round with the 280th pick, went 1-0 with a 2.45 ERA before a season-ending injury on the opening weekend of SEC play.
Michigan State transfer Garrett Brewer, whom the Colorado Rockies selected in the 12th round with the 344th pick, made 17 relief appearances and tied for the team lead with three saves.
Jett Johnston, whom the Detroit Tigers selected in the 13th round with the 396th pick, set career highs with 31 strikeouts over 24 innings.
