NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Vanderbilt senior Javier Vaz was selected in the 15th round of the Major League Baseball draft by the Kansas City Royals on Tuesday afternoon.
Vaz is the fifth Commodore taken in this year’s draft alongside Kumar Rocker, Spencer Jones, Dominic Keegan and Chris McElvain.
A transfer from LSU Eunice, Vaz played the past two seasons at Vanderbilt. He hit .284 in 2022 with 14 doubles, five homers and a pair of triples while driving in 30 runs.
Vaz didn’t commit an error in the field in 50 appearances this season and stole 15 bases on 17 attempts.
As a junior in 2021, Vaz sparked Vanderbilt’s ninth-inning rally against Stanford in the College World Series. He worked a two-out walk before coming across to score the tying run.
He started off his senior campaign strong with his first home run as a Commodore in the opening series against Oklahoma State and his first grand slam at Hawaii on March 5.
He finished his senior season with just 16 strikeouts in 155 at-bats.
The draft continues through the 20th round Tuesday.
