Janek ranked among top prospects for 2024 MLB Draft
12/14/2023 10:10:00 AM | Baseball
HUNTSVILLE – Sam Houston catcher Walker Janek has been named the No. 48 overall prospect for the upcoming MLB Draft in MLB Pipeline's annual release of its Top 100 prospects put out on Wednesday.Â
The comprehensive list includes both college and high school prospects eligible for the 2024 MLB Draft, a list which is built primarily by MLB draft expert Jonathan Mayo. Â
Janek, who will be a junior with the Kats in 2024, checks in at No. 48 overall, but also as the fifth-ranked catcher in the draft class behind Stanford's Malcolm Moore (No. 12 overall), Cal's Caleb Lomavita (No. 21 overall), Virginia's Ethan Anderson (No. 44 overall) and Texas Tech's Kevin Bazzell (No. 47 overall). Â
He is the highest-rated 2024 draft prospect in Conference USA and third highest among non-Power 5 collegiate players on the list. Â
Janek's current projection puts him in line to be the third Bearkat in the last four drafts to be selected within the top four rounds, with Joe Redfield going in the fourth round to the Los Angeles Angels in 2023 and Colton Cowser going to Baltimore with the No. 5 overall pick in 2021.Â
A product of Gregory-Portland High School on the Texas Gulf Coast, Janek has been a huge piece to the Bearkats' success over the past two seasons, playing in 107 total games with a .315/.410/.528 slash line with 20 home runs, 103 RBI and 25 doubles. Â
He has been on the Buster Posey Award watch list each of the past two seasons and was named to the WAC All-Defensive Team as a freshman in 2022. Janek was named the Most Outstanding Player of the WAC Tournament, leading the Kats to the tournament title and the program's first berth in an NCAA regional since 2017.Â
Janek and the Kats will make their debut in Conference USA in 2024 and are scheduled to kick off the season at home on Feb. 16 with the opener of a three-game series against Oklahoma State.Â
Season tickets for Bearkat Baseball are available through the Bearkat Ticket Office at 936-294-1729 or by visiting GoBearkats.com/tickets.Â
For updates on Bearkat Baseball, be sure to check GoBearkats.com and follow @BearkatsBSB on X and Instagram.
