LOS ANGELES, Calif. – A former South Medford High School Panther was drafted in the 2022 MLB Draft.
Jacob Melton was selected in the second round of the draft by the Houston Astros.
After a successful high school career, he chose to play at Linn-Benton Community College.
From there, the outfielder transferred to Oregon State where he was named the PAC-12 Player of the Year.
He was also recognized as a consensus First-Team All-American this year.
After such an unconventional route to becoming a high-profile big league prospect, the emotions are running high among his friends and family.
“It’s really unreal right now,” Melton’s dad, Joe Melton said. “It hasn’t really kicked in. You know, he’s always been capable of doing it. He is a super hard worker. I mean he’s not going to get outworked at any level, it’s just not going to happen.”
His dad said he’s extremely proud of his son’s accomplishments.
He emphasized that it was never about reaching the Major Leagues for the Medford-native, he’s just doing what he loves.
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