MONTGOMERY, Ala.- First baseman Juan Cruz and outfielder Kameron Douglas became the first Alabama State University duo since 2015 to be drafted in the MLB Amateur Draft on Monday afternoon.
Both were 20th-round picks. Cruz was the 591st pick by the Washington Nationals, and Douglas was the 609th pick by the Detroit Tigers.
The last time the Hornets had two draftees in the MLB draft was in 2015, when Jorge Pantoja (30th RND/Washington) and Amando Ruiz (Oakland/29th RND).
Alabama State had three players taken in the 2014 draft with Junior Amion (San Francisco/19th), Richard Gonzalez (Houston/29th), and Emmanuel Marrero (Philadelphia/7th).
Marerro is the highest-drafted Alabama State player, followed by Randy Flores, who was the second-highest pick after being selected in the eighth round in 2024.
Cruz had a banner year in 2025, earning NCBWA Third-Team All-American, ABCA Second-Team All-Region, SWAC Co-Hitter of the Year, and First-Team All-SWAC honors.
Cruz played in 60 games with 60 starts, hitting .420 with 23 doubles, two triples, 14 home runs, and 73 RBI (3rd SWAC). He slugged .690 with a .480 on-base percentage.
The Apopka, Fla., native led the NCAA with 106 hits while ranking 2nd in the NCAA in hits per game (1.77) and 5th in total bases (174). He is 8th in the country in batting average (.416), and 21st in RBI (73).
Cruz led the SWAC in doubles, doubles per game, hits, and hits per game while ranking second in batting average, 3rd in runs scored (62), third in RBI, and home runs, and fifth in slugging percentage.
Douglas garnered First-Team All-SWAC honors, playing in 55 games with 54 starts. He finished third in the SWAC in hits (73), fifth in home runs (14) and sac flies (5), eighth in RBI (56), and 10th in slugging percentage (.616). The Woodstock, Ga., native hit .338 with 16 doubles, one triple, 14 home runs, and 56 RBI.
Alabama State Baseball in the MLB Draft