Clarke, Sabol, Stubbs Selected on Second Day of MLB Draft

LOS ANGELES – The USC baseball team had three players selected on the second day of the 2019 MLB Draft, with Chris Clarke going to the Chicago Cubs, Blake Sabol going to the Pittsburgh Pirates and CJ Stubbs being selected by the Houston Astros.

Clarke was taken in the fourth round by the Cubs, Sabol was selected in the seventh round by the Pirates and Stubbs went to the Astros in the 10th round. It was the fourth time in the last five years that the Trojans have had multiple players selected on the second day of the draft (rounds 3-10). Both Sabol and Clarke are juniors, and Stubbs is a redshirt junior, giving all three the option of signing with their respective teams or returning to USC.

As a program, USC has now produced 336 MLB Draft picks and 114 total major-leaguers (most in the NCAA).

Chris Clarke (RHP) – Chicago Cubs (4th round, 132nd pick)

Clarke is the highest drafted USC player since Wyatt Strahan was selected in the third round by the Reds in 2014. The junior righty had a tremendous season out of the bullpen for the Trojans, earning All-Pac-12 honors thanks to a 1.03 ERA and 3.33/1 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Clarke posted 60 strikeouts in 52.1 innings pitched, allowing just 32 hits and 18 walks for a .170 opponent batting average and 0.96 WHIP. He was third in the Pac-12 with eight saves this season and finished a total of 25 games for the Trojans. For his career, Clarke compiled a total of 183.1 innings pitched, 11 wins, 149 strikeouts and nine saves. He was a starter his first two years at Troy, but had by far his best season this year after transitioning to the pen.

Blake Sabol (OF) – Pittsburgh Pirates (7th round, 214th pick)

Sabol came into the 2019 season after a stellar summer in the Cape Cod League in which he earned Summer All-American honors and was ranked the 63rd best collegiate draft prospect. This season, Sabol hit .268 and was the only Trojan to appear in all 55 games. He hit eight doubles, three triples and three homers, drove in 22 runs and scored 37 for USC, while also stealing a team-high 13 bases. The left-handed hitting Sabol has moved around the diamond during his collegiate career, playing behind the plate and in all three outfield positions. For his career, Sabol has posted 145 hits, including nine homers, five triples and 21 doubles, to go along with 62 RBI, 77 runs scored and 22 stolen bases.

CJ Stubbs (C) – Houston Astros (10th round, 316th pick)

Stubbs joins his older brother and former Trojan great, Garrett Stubbs, with the Astros organization after serving as an offensive catalyst for the Trojans this year. The righty pitched his first two seasons at USC before sitting out 2018 following Tommy John surgery. He came back this season as USC's everyday catcher and proceeded to hit .285 with six homers, three triples and 11 doubles. Batting in the heart of the Trojan order, Stubbs drove in 35 runs and scored a team-high 38. Behind the plate, he led the Pac-12 with 13 runners caught stealing this season. In his first two seasons as a pitcher, Stubbs had a 4.57 ERA in 106.1 innings pitched, with 62 strikeouts and 37 walks.

Players Mentioned

Chris Clarke

Blake Sabol

CJ Stubbs