Beavers QB Uiagalelei selected by Dodgers

Published 10:36 am Wednesday, July 12, 2023

Oregon State quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei hasn’t played college baseball, but that didn’t keep the Los Angeles Dodgers from spending a 20th-round pick in the 2023 MLB draft to select the Beavers signal-caller on Tuesday.

Uiagalelei played high school baseball at St. John Bosco in Bellflower, California, and the right-hander reportedly had a fastball that hit 95 mph.

A five-star football recruit, Uiagalelei went on to play football for three seasons at Clemson before transferring to Oregon State this offseason.

The 6-foot-4, 251-pound Uiagalelei, who has two years of college football eligibility remaining, is expected to compete with incumbent starter Ben Gulbranson when preseason camp begins in August.

Now that the Dodgers have taken a flier on Uiagalelei with their final pick in the draft, the quarterback potentially has post-collegiate sports opportunities ahead of him in more than just football.