The Miami Hurricanes are one of the most elite programs in college baseball history.

Since 1973, the Hurricanes have been at the pinnacle of the sport with 25 College World Series appearances, four national championships and 46 NCAA tournament bids –including a NCAA record 44 consecutive years advancing to an NCAA regional.

Miami’s long-term success is no coincidence, as the program has produced hundreds of outstanding players over the years and many of those have gone on to success in professional baseball.

“At the end of the day, you have to have really good players if you’re going to win. The most important part of this is recruiting,” said legendary head coach Jim Morris, who won two national championships at Miami. “Our players got better. It wasn’t an accident. They worked hard and they were committed to what we were doing. So many guys improved in the draft by coming to Miami.”

295 Hurricanes have been drafted, the most in the Atlantic Coast Conference. Since 1991, UM has produced 190 draft picks, which sits 22 more ahead than the next-highest ACC total (168, Clemson). 85 Canes have been selected in the top five rounds, including an astonishing 28 players drafted in the first round.

With the 2020 MLB Draft set to begin on June 10 at 7 p.m., we took a look back at some major moments in Canes Baseball draft history.

Pat the Bat goes No. 1 overall

In 1998, Pat Burrell became the first Hurricane selected with the first overall pick in the Major League Baseball Draft. The Philadelphia Phillies selected the slugger and agreed to a major league deal that guaranteed him $8 million—then the largest amount ever given to a draft pick at the time.

After graduating from Bellarmine College Prep in 1995, Burrell was selected by the Boston Red Sox in the 43rd round of the 1995 MLB Draft and offered $1,000. Instead of signing, he chose to attend Miami and instantly developed into one of the most dominant players in the country.

During his rookie campaign, Burrell became the first freshman in NCAA history to lead the nation in hitting with a .484 batting average. He notched 23 home runs and 64 RBI as he guided the Hurricanes to the championship game of the College World Series. Burrell was named a first-team All-American and won the College World Series’ MVP award.

“How do you hit nearly .500 as a freshman? How do you hit nearly .500 any year? How do you do that in T-Ball?” said current Miami head coach Gino DiMare, who was an assistant coach when Burrell played at Miami. “Even his outs were bullets. Every ball he hit was a laser.”

He continued to shine as a sophomore, tallying a .409 batting average, 21 home runs and 76 RBI in 1997. For the second straight season, Burrell was selected as an All-American and helped the Hurricanes return to Omaha.

In his final year in the orange and green, he won the Gold Spikes Award as the top amateur baseball player in the country. Despite missing 38 games due to a back injury, Burrell totaled a .432 batting average, 17 homers, and 47 RBI, leading Miami to its third College World Series appearance in a row.

Burrell finished his collegiate career with a .442 batting average, which ranks eighth all-time in NCAA history, and a .886 slugging percentage, which stands third. His 61 home runs are the second most by a Hurricane and his 187 RBI is the fifth highest mark at UM.

“Pat Burrell was probably the best hitter I’ve ever seen in college baseball,” Morris said. “He was always the first guy on the field every day. If I wasn’t out on the field, he would knock on the coaches’ door looking for me.”

After less than two seasons in the minor leagues, Burrell would go onto play 12 years in the MLB. He won two World Series with the Phillies before playing for the Tampa Bay Rays and San Francisco Giants to wrap up his professional career.

Braun and Carrillo make Canes Baseball draft history

Seven years after Burrell’s selection, Ryan Braun and Cesar Carrillo gave Miami multiple first-round picks in the same draft for the first time.

A native of California, Braun was one of the nation’s top prep shortstops coming out of Granada Hills High School. He was listed among the top 100 overall prospects by Baseball America but went undrafted as he told teams that he intended to attend college.

Braun starred as a freshman, garnering National Freshman of the Year and All-America honors. He led the Hurricanes with a .364 batting average, 17 home runs and broke Burrell’s freshman record with 76 RBI.

One season later, Braun registered 10 home runs, 45 RBI and team-best 21 stolen bases in 45 games, despite being limited by a rib cage injury.

As a junior, he was tabbed the 2005 ACC Player of the Year and an All-American after racking up a .396 average, 18 home runs, 76 RBI and 23 stolen bases.

“The ball flew off his bat. He had at unbelievable career at Miami,” said DiMare said, who was the hitting coach and recruiting coordinator during Braun’s collegiate career. “If you had to argue the top five hitters of all-time at Miami, Ryan Braun is on that hand, no question.”

The Milwaukee Brewers drafted Braun fifth overall in the MLB Draft as a third baseman and he signed for $2.45 million.

He was named the 2007 National League Rookie of the Year in 2007, has won five Silver Slugger awards and won the NL Most Valuable Player Award in 2011. The 6-foot-2, 205-pound star is a six-time All-Star through 13 seasons with the Brewers.

Carrillo, who was a 33rd round pick out of Mount Carmel High School, was one of the most impressive pitchers in Hurricanes’ history. The right-handed hurler started his Miami career with 24 consecutive victories, which is the longest streak in school history, and one shy of the all-time NCAA record.

In 2004, Carrillo went 12-0 with two saves and a 2.68 ERA in 113 innings pitched, earning All-America recognition. The Chicago, Ill., native tossed a complete game victory over rival Florida in the Super Regionals to clinch Miami’s 21st trip to the College World Series.

Carrillo followed his dazzling first campaign on the mound with an even more standout season. He won his first 12 decisions to move to 24-0 in his career and tallied a 2.22 ERA in 125 innings. Carrillo was named the 2005 ACC Pitcher of the Year, a first-team All-American and a first-team All-ACC selection.

“His arm was so quick you could hear it whip. He had a sound like I never heard before,” DiMare said.

The San Diego Padres picked Carrillo 18th overall in the 2008 MLB Draft. He made his debut for the Padres in 2009 and has played 15 years of professional baseball.

Three Canes go in Round 1 in 2008

A few years after Braun and Carrillo made history, Yonder Alonso, Jemile Weeks and Carlos Gutierrez became the first Canes trio to go in the first round of the same draft.

“That tells you how good we were and how much we pushed each other,” Alonso said. “I remember practicing being harder than the games. Scouts, fans, people came to practices. We wanted to show people how good we were.”

A Cuban immigrant, Alonso excelled at Coral Gables High School, gathering the attention of pro scouts. He was picked by the Minnesota Twins in the 16th round of the 2005 MLB Draft but elected not to sign and instead honored his commitment with UM.

“From day one, we just knew we had something very special,” DiMare said. “Yonder is one of the best hitters in school history. He had an unbelievable career at Miami. He was just a great all-around player.”

The power-hitting infielder began his Miami career on a strong note. He posted a team-leading 10 home runs and 69 RBI, becoming just the second freshman in program history to lead the Canes in home runs and RBI en route to a trip to Omaha.

In 2007, Alonso was selected as an All-American and an All-ACC second team selection. His 18 home runs led the conference while his .376 average and 74 RBI paced the Hurricanes.

During his curtain call season, the 6-foot-2, 215-pound slugger led the team in batting average (.370), RBI (72) and home runs (24), posting the second-most homers hit in a season by a Hurricane. Alonso was named an All-American and helped Miami claim its 23rd appearance in the College World Series.

He wrapped up his time in the orange and green with 52 home runs and 215 RBI, which both rank third at UM. Alonso also finished fourth in career walks with 172 and tied for fifth in slugging percentage at a .637 career clip.

The Cincinnati Reds selected Alonso seventh overall in the 2008 MLB Draft. He made his MLB debut on September 1, 2010 for the Reds, and 10 years later, he has carved out a remarkable career in the big leagues, playing for seven different organizations. In 2017, Alonso was named an All-Star, returning to Miami for the weekend festivities. Over his time in the MLB, he has hit 100 career home runs, including a season-best 28 homers in 2017.

“It was such an incredible feeling. All the sacrifice, all the stuff I put into it,” Alonso said. “I couldn’t thank Miami enough for the opportunity they game me. They gave me a chance to develop my craft and become the player and person [I wanted to grow into].”

Five spots after Alonso, Weeks was taken 12th overall by the Oakland Athletics. The talented infielder was previously selected by the Brewers in the eighth round of the 2005 MLB Draft, but he chose to attend UM instead.

The decision for Weeks paid off.

As a freshman, the Orlando, Fla., native garnered Freshman All-American and second-team All-ACC honors. He batted .352 with six home runs and 40 RBI. During the Hurricanes’ run to Omaha, Weeks was tabbed the Most Outstanding Player of the Lincoln Regional after hitting .583 with four RBI.

The switch-hitting second baseman hit .298 as a sophomore and led the ACC with six triples before breaking out as a junior.

In 2008, Weeks earned All-America honors after notching a .363 batting average, 13 home runs, 62 RBI and 22 stolen bases. His 19 career triples are the most in Miami history and his 190 runs rank eighth all-time.

“Without a doubt, he’s the best offensive second baseman we’ve ever had,” DiMare said. “He had a little bit of pop for a little guy, he could run, he could do it all. He was just an exciting player to watch.”

Weeks would go onto play six seasons in the MLB after making his debut for the Athletics in 2011.

Unlike many other first-round selections, Gutierrez wasn’t on scouts’ radars until late.

He tossed just 10 innings as a freshman and pitched much of his sophomore year through an elbow injury that required Tommy John surgery following the season. After being sidelined in 2007, Gutierrez transitioned into the Hurricanes’ closer role.

The 6-foot-3, 205-pound right-hander saved 13 games for the Canes and recorded 72 strikeouts in 49.2 innings. His rare combination of velocity and movement caught teams’ attention.

“He wasn’t a highly recruited guy. He was a late bloomer,” DiMare said. “Carlos ended up developing a lot. All the pro guys were impressed with his heavy, heavy sinker. He dominated with just one pitch. You don’t see that with just one go-to pitch. He was so impressive.”

Gutierrez was picked 27th overall by the Minnesota Twins and went onto play six seasons of professional baseball. He climbed as high as AAA in the Twins’ organization.

The 2019 Draft class gets its first taste of pro ball

While Collins was making his MLB debut in 2019, five Hurricanes were selected in the MLB Draft.

After starring on the bump for Miami, right-handed pitcher Evan McKendry was a ninth-round draft choice by the Tampa Bay Rays.

In his first year of professional baseball, McKendry pitched in nine games, including seven starts in the prestigious New York-Penn League. The Pembroke Pines, Fla., native went 4-1 with a 1.45 ERA in 43.1 innings. He struck out 45 batters and walked just four.

“The schedule we had at Miami was 10 times more strenuous than any day I’ve had in pro ball,” McKendry said about how UM prepared him for the next level. “I was ready to compete on the field, in workouts and time management wise.”

Greg Veliz followed McKendry in the draft, going in the 15th round by the Los Angeles Angels. Known for his wipeout stuff out of the bullpen at Miami, the hard-throwing reliever moved up in the Angels’ organization after recording a 1.69 ERA, 15 strikeouts and zero walks in six appearances.

Six rounds later, catcher Michael Amditis was drafted by the Cleveland Indians in the 21st round before side-winder Mark Mixon was picked in the 26th round by the Los Angeles Dodgers. Current Canes pitcher Tyler Keysor heard his name called by the Milwaukee Brewers in the 40th round, but elected to return to Miami for the 2020 season.

The Hurricanes will look to add to their esteemed list with the 2020 MLB Draft this week. Due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the MLB shortened this year’s draft from 40 rounds to just five. There will be 160 names called in this year’s draft, with the first round scheduled for Wednesday evening and round 2-5 set for Thursday.

Four Hurricanes enter the draft ranked in MLB Pipeline’s Top 200 prospects: RHP Chris McMahon, RHP Slade Cecconi, SS Freddy Zamora and 1B Alex Toral.

The 2020 MLB Draft begins Wednesday at 7 p.m. ET, with both MLB Network and ESPN providing coverage. Day 2 will be televised on MLB Network and ESPN 2 beginning at 5 p.m. ET.

“Live in the moment and enjoy yourself. The mission starts at that moment,” Alonso said about the advice he’d shared with draft-eligible prospects. “It’s the beginning of a long, long career. You have to do everything possible to become a better player and person.”