On the second day of the 2026 Major League Baseball Draft, two standout seniors from the University of California’s baseball program heard their names called, marking another milestone for a program that has become a reliable pipeline for professional talent.
Right‑hander Oliver de la Torre was selected by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 15th round, the 462nd overall pick, while catcher Hideki Prather was taken by the Minnesota Twins in the 17th round, the 497th slot. Both players had delivered career‑best performances for the Golden Bears, with de la Torre posting a 3.76 earned‑run average that ranked 12th in the Atlantic Coast Conference and striking out 72 batters over 81.1 innings, and Prather leading the team with a .333 batting average, a 1.053 OPS and 46 RBIs.
A New Chapter for the Bears
Their selections add to a legacy that includes 244 major‑league draftees in the program’s history and a streak of at least one player chosen in 58 of the 62 drafts since the draft began in 1965, a testament to the consistency of the university’s talent development.
De la Torre becomes the third Bear ever drafted by the Blue Jays, following David Cooper in 2008 and Cameron Eden in 2019, while Prather joins the Twins’ list of alumni that includes Tom Colburn and the recent pick Paulshawn Pasqualotto, reinforcing the program’s reach across multiple franchises.
The program’s recent successes have also been highlighted by the presence of pitcher Gavin Eddy and coach Mike Neu, whose contributions have helped shape a competitive weekend rotation and a lineup that has consistently ranked near the top of the conference in offensive categories.
As the new draftees prepare to embark on their professional journeys, the university’s baseball community looks forward to watching how their collegiate preparation translates to the majors, confident that the culture of excellence will continue to produce talent capable of shaping the sport’s future.