CORAL GABLES, Fla. — University of Miami juniors Yohandy Morales and Andrew Walters heard their names called on the first day of the 2023 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft on Sunday evening.
Morales was selected in the second round (No. 40 overall) by the Washington Nationals, while Walters was picked in the Competitive Balance Round B (No. 62 overall) by the Cleveland Guardians.
One of the most prolific hitters in college baseball, Morales cemented himself in the Miami record books across his three seasons at The U.
Morales’ 49 career home runs rank fourth all-time by a Hurricane, trailing only Phil Lane, Pat Burrell and Yonder Alonso. The Miami native also hit .343, drove in 174 runs and tallied a 1.048 OPS.
In 2023, the 6-foot-4, 225-pound third baseman led the Hurricanes in nine offensive categories: average (.408), hits (98), home runs (20), RBI (70), at-bats (240), total bases (171), on-base percentage (.475), slugging percentage (.713) and OPS (1.187).
Morales garnered All-America accolades, finishing with the sixth-most hits, seventh-best average, eighth-highest slugging percentage and tied for 10th-most in homers in a single season in program history.