BERKELEY – After a junior year in which he tied for the Pac-12 lead in home runs and started every game, Cal third baseman Denis Karas became the first Golden Bear drafted in 2017 when he was chosen by the Miami Marlins in the 10^th round of the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft.
 
Karas was chosen with the 299^th overall pick and becomes the seventh Golden Bear in the last three years and 36^th during David Esquer's tenure as head coach to be selected in the top 10 rounds of the draft. He is also the third Cal player picked by the Marlins over the past four years, joining Aaron Knapp (eighth round, 2016) and Kyle Porter (31^st round, 2014).
 
A native of Lafayette, Calif., Karas was one of only four Cal players to appear in all 54 games in 2017. He belted 12 home runs to finish in a tie with teammate Andrew Vaughn for the conference lead. Karas finished the season with a .242 batting average, 11 doubles, 28 runs score, 37 RBI and a .464 slugging percentage. He also stole five bases.
 
Tuesday's selection is the second for Karas, who was picked by Pittsburgh in the 24^th round of the 2014 draft after being named MVP of the Diablo Foothill Athletic League (DFAL) as a senior at Campolindo High School. In three years in Berkeley, Karas has a career average of .262 with 17 home runs, 56 RBI, 18 doubles, 46 runs scored and a .490 slugging percentage. He hit .319 in 29 games as a sophomore in 2016.
 
The draft continues Wednesday with rounds 11 through 40 and fans can follow @Cal_Baseball on Twitter for updates on Cal players throughout the day.