The MLB Draft continues long after the pomp and circumstance of the first night ends. For many players, getting their call to the Show involves a lot of patience.
This was certainly the case for UCLA righthanded pitcher Cody Delvecchio, selected in the 12th round by the San Francisco Giants with the No. 356 overall pick in the 2025 Draft.
Delvecchio entered the Bruins’ starting rotation this season as a junior and is the 130th athlete drafted under head coach John Savage’s 21-year tenure. He made eight total starts and threw 37 innings last season, recording a 6.81 ERA and .293 BAA.
The righthander would’ve made more starts, but was deemed academically ineligible after UCLA’s winter quarter. The academic quarter technically ended March 21, but Delvecchio started in a March 28 win over Purdue, 8-5. He was deemed eligible again just two days before Bruins’ first game of the Men’s College World Series against Murray State.
Delvecchio made his first start back and final start of his division I career in a 7-3 second-elimination loss to Arkansas in Bracket 2 play. Arkansas went on to lose to eventual national champion LSU, 6-5, in the Razorbacks’ second loss of the tournament.
As a true freshman, Delvecchio made 36 relief appearances. He posted a 4.20 ERA and .237 BAA over 45 innings and earned a 2023 Pac-12 All-Conference honorable mention. Delvecchio transitioned to a relief role as a sophomore, finishing 2024 with a 2.42 ERA and .196 BAA across 26 innings.
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The righthander is a smart selection for the Giants, currently 52-45 and third in the NL West behind the Dodgers (58-39) and Padres (52-44). It’s good for Delvecchio, too. The Giants are a franchise he can continue to develop in.
San Francisco may have lost Kyle Harrison and Jordan Hicks to the Red Sox for Rafael Devers in the trade of the season, but their pitching is still strong. The Giants pitching staff was ranked No. 5 in the league by Bleacher Report’s Kerry Miller June 19, and the San Francisco bullpen is first in the MLB in ERA, second in WHIP, and fifth in both walks and hits per nine innings, according to FanGraphs.