The third Aggie came off the MLB Draft board on Monday, July 10, as junior 3B Trevor Werner was selected by the Kansas City Royals as the 199th overall pick in the seventh round. Werner joins junior SS Hunter Haas and junior RHP Nathan Dettmer as members of the Texas A&M baseball team to hear their names called to professional ranks on Day 2 of the draft.
Werner wraps up a four year career with the maroon and white that, when healthy, has seen him as a starter at the hot corner in the past two seasons. The Houston native saw time on the pitcher’s mound as well in his first two collegiate seasons with former coach Rob Childress before making the move to a full-time position player under coach Jim Schlossnagle.
Werner has been considered by many to have the physique, talent and tools of a successful professional baseball player, it’s simply a matter of capitalizing on those qualities and displaying them on the diamond.
As the Aggies went 15-3 in the COVID-shortned 2020 season, Werner started 13 games with a .277 batting average and 10 runs batted in but struck out 15 times. In 1.2 innings and two pitching appearances, he allowed two hits and struck out three batters.
In 2021, Werner amassed a 7.71 ERA after allowing eight runs over 9.1 frames and nine appearances. He started just nine games on the field and hit .182 with six RBIs.
Werner developed considerably entering the 2022 campaign despite missing nearly 30 games with a broken hamate bone in his left hand. As A&M’s third baseman, he raised his batting average to .256 with seven home runs and 29 runs batted in. Defense remained a weakness, though, with 13 errors committed for a .851 fielding percentage. After the season, Werner opted to forgo the draft and return to school for his fourth year.
Named to the Preseason All-SEC Second Team in 2023, Werner took a large step forward in all areas of his game with a .252 batting average, 14 home runs and 52 runs batted in over 56 starts despite an early hamstring injury. He stole 12 bases compared to just three the season prior, and raised his fielding percentage to .961. The highlight of his season was a three-home run performance versus Alabama on May 12.
At the All-Star break, the Royals carry the second-worst record in the Major Leagues at 26-65.