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Jacen Roberson
Mark Duffel

Baseball

Diamondbacks Land Roberson in MLB Amateur Draft

Bakersfield, Calif. – The Arizona Diamondbacks selected CSU Bakersfield center fielder Jacen Roberson in the 16th Round of the 2021 Major League Baseball Amateur Draft on Tuesday. Roberson becomes the 21st Roadrunner chosen in the MLB Draft since 2009, and the first picked by the Diamondbacks since Ryan Grotjohn in 2017.
 
A Bakersfield native and graduate of Garces Memorial High School, Roberson started all 49 games in which he appeared over two seasons at CSUB, hitting .270 with a .363 on-base percentage and a .486 slugging percentage that ranks third all-time in the `Runner record books.
 
Roberson burst onto the scene in 2020, when he finished 7-for-12, with three walks, a triple, an RBI, four runs scored and three steals in a season opening series against Washington State.
 
In 2021, he led Bakersfield with 10 doubles, three triples, seven home runs and a .542 slugging percentage, while hitting .282 and starting 38 games in center field. Roberson also drove in 34 runs and scored 30 more while earning All-Big West Honorable Mention as a third-year sophomore.
 
On Apr. 10, 2021, Roberson hit for the first cycle in CSUB history in a win over UC Davis, an outing that included a grand slam home run, three runs scored and six runs driven in.
 
He was named the Big West Player of the Week on May 10, after hitting .533 with multiple RBI in all four games and three multi-hit outings in a series sweep of Cal Poly. He drove in 10 runs for the series, while belting his 5th and 6th home runs of the season and collecting a 1.696 OPS.
 
Roberson finished the season with seven homers, the most in a single season by a `Runner since 2012.
 
He was previously drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers, who chose him in the 24th round of the 2018 Draft after a stand out high school career.
 
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Players Mentioned

Jacen Roberson

#16 Jacen Roberson

OF
6' 1"
Redshirt Sophomore
L-L

Players Mentioned

Jacen Roberson

#16 Jacen Roberson

6' 1"
Redshirt Sophomore
L-L
OF
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