The University of San Diego’s Jack Gurevitch was ranked 144th on mlb.com’s list of the top 250 prospects for the 2025 MLB Draft, projecting the junior corner infielder as an early pick Monday on Day 2 of the draft. The St. Louis Cardinals couldn’t wait, choosing Gurevitch 55 picks earlier than projected when they selected him in the third round with the 89th overall pick. The slot value for the 89th pick is $879,000, which is significantly more than 144th ($499,000). Gurevitch wasn’t concerning himself with all that while celebrating Sunday evening with family and friends at his grandparents’ house. He was too caught up in realizing the dream of becoming a professional baseball player. The 6-foot first baseman from Pacific Palisades led the Toreros this season with a .371 batting average and 17 home runs while collecting 56 RBIs. “Jack Gurevitch is probably the best pure contact hitter I’ve coached in my career,” USD head coach Brock Ungricht said. “His ability to hit for power and average to all fields truly separates him from others. His exit velocity numbers are among the highest in the game, and he’s earned everything coming his way.” The MLB.com scouting report on Gurevitch, who did not immediately return a call from the Union-Tribune, said he “has the chance to be a very good hitter at the next level. He has a handsy swing from the left side of the plate that is capable of making extremely loud contact, and he’s registering very high exit velocities this spring.” The report also said “he absolutely crushes fastballs, but he has a tendency to be a bit over-aggressive and chase pitches — especially breaking stuff — out of the zone, though some evaluators think that can be toned down. It’s mostly hard line drives to all fields, but there’s some belief there’s more power to come given how hard his contact has been. “Strong and compact, Gurevitch has played some third base this year, but most feel like he’s destined to be a first baseman. He gets very high marks for his toughness, leadership and overall makeup, which might give teams more confidence he’ll maximize his tools.” Gurevitch was the second player with San Diego ties selected on Sunday, when the draft’s first three rounds were completed. UC Santa Barbara pitcher Tyler Bremner (Scripps Ranch High School) was selected by Los Angeles Angels with the second overall pick. Rounds 4-20 will be completed on Monday, beginning at 8:30 a.m. PT.