Rutgers Baseball: Ryan Lasko selected with 41st pick in 2023 MLB Draft

Ryan Lasko made a huge impact for the Scarlet Knights over the course of his career and it all paid off on Sunday night.

Lasko was selected with the 41st overall pick in the second round of the 2023 MLB Draft by the Oakland A’s. He spent three years patrolling the outfield for Rutgers and entered the draft as the 89th overall prospect, according to MLB.com.

Lasko is the highest-drafted Scarlet Knight since 2007 when the Cincinnati Reds selected Todd Frazier in the first round. The slot value for Lasko at No. 41 is $2.0949.

Lasko, a New Jersey native and graduate of Jackson Memorial High School, decided to stay home and play his college ball with the Scarlet Knights. In three years, Lasko finished with 201 hits, 38 home runs, 135 RBIs, 169 runs and batted .314 for his career.

A two-time First Team All-Big Ten selection, Lasko became the first Scarlet Knight to earn this honor twice. Over the last two years, he helped Rutgers win a total of 77 games, including a program-record of 44 in 2022.

As a sophomore during that 2022 season, Lasko led the Big Ten with 90 hits and 81 runs scored. He also set the single-season program record with 24 doubles. This season, Lasko led Rutgers batting .332 batting average and totaling 32 extra-base hits, 73 hits, and 58 runs scored. He added 11 home runs and 52 RBI.

Lasko leaves Rutgers ranked 20th in program history with 201 hits. He also sits third all-time in home runs, eighth in runs, tied for ninth in doubles, and tied for 10th in RBI.