Cardinals Take Dakota Hudson In First Round Of MLB Draft

STARKVILLE, Miss. (WCBI Sports) – He had to wait longer than many expected, but Mississippi State junior pitcher Dakota Hudson went in the first round.

The St. Louis Cardinals selected Hudson with the 34th and final pick of the Major League Baseball Draft’s opening round Thursday. It was the 13th first-round selection for MSU and the third first rounder in the past five seasons for the Bulldogs.

Hudson is expected to leave Starkville for the major leagues and skip his senior season at MSU.

He was in the top 15 picks in many projections prior to Thursday night. He ended up as the 18th pitcher and the 12th right-handed pitcher taken The value for his projected pick, between ten and 15, was around $2.8 million. That value dropped to $1.8 million for the 34th pick.

Baseball America named him a second team All-American Tuesday. He’s also on the All-SEC first team for 2016.