Kai Roberts drafted in 7th round by San Diego

SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4 Sports) - Utes outfielder Kai Roberts was selected in the seventh round of the Major League Baseball Draft by the San Diego Padres on Monday.

Roberts is coming off an incredible turnaround season, in which he improved his batting average by one hundred points from .256 to .356, earning All-Pac-12 second team honors in 2024. Roberts also had seven home runs and 56 RBI for the Utes.

A graduate of Skyridge High School in Lehi, Roberts was the 210th overall selection in the draft. He is the first Utah player drafted since DaShawn Keirsey, Jr. was taken by Minnesota at No. 124 overall back in 2018.

Roberts etched his name in the record books as the top base-stealer in program history both for a single season (33 in 2024) and career (66). His 33 stolen bases this past season led the Pac-12 and ranked 10^th in the country.
 
Roberts finished his 201-game career at Utah with a .301 / .404 / .459 slash line, including 61 doubles, nine triples, 16 home runs and 154 runs batted in. His 61 career doubles are tied for second-most at Utah dating back to 1990, while Roberts' 154 RBI and 155 runs scored sit sixth and eighth, respectively, during that time.