FARMINGTON – When the phone call came to Isaac Gallegos, he knew it was his time.
“I’d had a few conversations with my advisers and we had a feeling something was going to happen, but when the call came, it meant a lot.”
Gallegos, who just finished his junior season as a pitcher at the University of New Mexico, was selected in the 2023 Major League Baseball Draft in the 16th round by the Atlanta Braves with the 489th pick overall.
A graduate of Grants High School who spent the first two years of his collegiate career at Trinidad (Colorado) State College before transferring to UNM, Gallegos had an outstanding campaign this past summer for the Lobos.
In addition to receiving recognition last season as the Mountain West Conference Pitcher of the Week last March, Gallegos started 12 games for the Lobos, achieving a record of 4-2 with a 4.35 earned run average. His best performance of the season came in a conference game at Fresno State University, where Gallegos threw eight innings, allowed only two runs on five hits and struck out seven batters in a 7-2 win over the Bulldogs.
“I had such a good experience playing for UNM,” Gallegos said. “My teammates, the coaches, everyone there has been very supportive of me during my time there.”
Before attending UNM, Gallegos threw two seasons of college ball at Trinidad State College, where he won the award for Pitcher of the Year in Region IX of the National Junior College Athletic Association. While a member of the Trojans pitching staff, Gallegos became the school’s all-time strikeout and wins leader, posting 15 career wins with 218 strikeouts.
Gallegos will be headed to Braves training facilities at CoolToday Park in Venice, Florida this weekend, when he will learn what he’ll be doing for the organization from the outset. Gallegos knows the journey from being a newly-drafted player to the Major Leagues is a long journey, but he is confident he’ll have an opportunity to prove himself.
“I’ve worked really hard to get to this position, and I’ve had some great coaches and teachers along the way who helped me get here and I want to prove myself to all of them,” Gallegos said.
Gallegos is one of only two currently residing in New Mexico who were chosen in this week’s MLB Draft. B.Y. Choi, from the New Mexico Military Institute, was taken in the 20th round by the San Diego Padres.
“That means a lot to me, knowing there were only two of us taken from New Mexico,” Gallegos said. “The state doesn’t get the recognition it deserves for being a good state for baseball. There’s a lot of communities that are spread out and maybe that’s why people overlook it. But I’m really proud to be one of those chosen.”
Last year, two New Mexicans heard their names called during the MLB draft. Former La Cueva High School standout Jack Pineda was taken in the 12th round (355 overall) by the Kansas City Royals while Carlsbad high school senior Nolan Perry was taken 15 spots later (368) by the Toronto Blue Jays.
UNM has now had 94 players selected in the MLB Draft in its history, including a pair of first-round picks: Kevin Andersh in 1985, and D.J. Peterson in 2013.
