Serra grad Drew Dowd drafted by Tampa Bay

The young southpaw was a marvel that day, firing two shutout innings of relief, striking out five, while not allowing a ball to leave the infield. He’d go on to see his varsity career shortened, first by an injury in 2019, then by the pandemic cancelations of 2020. Still, that Saturday afternoon debut April 14, 2018 was the start of what has turned into an extraordinary baseball ride for Dowd, now 21, who is coming off his junior year at Stanford.

“From the very beginning when we brought him up to varsity as a sophomore, it was just the competitiveness,” Serra Padres manager Chris Houle said. “Every time he went out there, he just went out to compete and beat the other guy.”

Now a sturdy 6-2, 205 pounds, Dowd is on the cusp of the next chapter of his baseball career. The left-hander was selected Monday in the eighth round of the Major League Baseball Draft by the Tampa Bay Rays.

“I was really excited,” Dowd said. “The Rays are like a perfect organization for me. I know I’m not a finished product and I think they understand that too. They have one of the best pitching development organizations in baseball … so I was pretty ecstatic right away.”

Dowd may be rough around the edges, but he has amassed quite a baseball resume since losing his senior high school season to the pandemic. In three years at Stanford, he and the Cardinal have made three trips to the College World Series. He has pitched in three games in Omaha, while not ever allowing a run, working a total of 7 1/3 scoreless innings.

Still, through no fault of his own, Dowd was something of a harbinger of doom. Not only did Stanford go on to lose all the College World Series games he pitched in — including both in this year’s disappointing two-and-out performance — during the Cardinal’s 2023 postseason run, they lost three of the four games he pitched in between the Super Regional playoffs and the CWS, despite his not allowing a run in all three of those loses.

“That was a theme, kind of, both last year and this year,” Dowd said.

Earning an All-Pac 12 Conference honorable mention, Dowd endured quite a workload this season.

While fellow left-hander Quinn Mathews, the Pac 12 Conference Pitcher of the Year, made national headlines for throwing a 156-pitch complete game in Stanford’s June 11 Super Regional win 8-3 over University of Texas, Dowd was a different kind of workhorse. After beginning the season in the Cardinal’s starting rotation, Dowd moved to the bullpen, and went on to appear in 32 games, ranking fourth in the Pac-12 Conference, and 17th in the nation among NCAA Division I programs.

“I’m not going to lie, I was a little tired by the end of the year,” Dowd said.

Limited to a two-pitch repertoire for most of the season, Dowd crafted a 9-3 record with a 4.52 ERA — seemingly high, but well below Stanford’s 5.72 staff ERA — while walking 33 and striking out 88 in 65 2/3 innings. These numbers are seen through the prism of Dowd, the reliever, who rarely used his changeup this year, a pitch he considers the best in his arsenal.

“I didn’t do that great, I didn’t do that bad either,” Dowd said. “It’s just, we needed a change in terms of our pitching staff. ... We needed me in the pen.”

With the changeup still up his sleeve, Dowd said he expects to get the chance to prove himself as a starting pitcher in professional baseball.

“Almost all professional teams I talked to viewed me as a starter,” Dowd said, “and I think that’s how the Rays view me.”

Dowd is one of eight Stanford players taken in the first 10 round of the MLB Draft, which concludes Tuesday with rounds 11-20. Other Cardinal drafted: shortstop Tommy Troy, first round, Arizona Diamondbacks; third baseman Alberto Rios, third round, Los Angeles Angels; Mathews, fourth round, St. Louis Cardinals; left-handed pitcher Ryan Bruno, seventh round, Diamondbacks; right-handed pitcher Joey Dixon, seventh round, Houston Astros; first baseman Carter Graham, eighth round, Cincinnati Reds; and outfielder Eddie Park, eighth round, Chicago White Sox.

Menlo School grad a surprise third-round selection

San Carlos native Kiefer Lord, a 2020 graduate of Menlo School, was ranked as the No. 127 draft prospect by MLB.com as a right-handed starting pitcher out of University of Washington. He faired much better than that ranking Monday on Day 2 of the MLB Draft, being selected 86th overall as a third-round pick by the Baltimore Orioles.

In his first season at Washington, Lord was an All-Pac 12 honorable mention. He was 6-5 with 6.19 ERA, but missed bats to the tune of 78 strikeouts against just 17 walks in 75 2/3 innings.

“I wouldn’t say I was super surprised, but I’m just super happy that a team was willing to make such a big investment in me,” Lord said. “It’s just really cool.”