Kentucky's John Rhodes was selected with the 76th overall pick of the 2021 MLB Draft on Monday, going to the Baltimore Orioles in the third round.

The sophomore outfielder is the sixth Wildcat to be selected in the Top 100 picks of the draft during the last five years, joining Evan White (1st round, 2017), Zack Thompson (1st, 2019), Sean Hjelle (2nd, 2018), Riley Mahan (3rd, 2018), and Tristan Pompey (3rd, 2018).

Rhodes is the 25th total draft pick under UK head coach Nick Mingione since 2017.

The Soddy Daisy, Tenn., native was national co-Freshman of the Year during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season. He batted .294 over his two seasons with the Wildcats, collecting 73 hits (including 25 doubles and 12 home runs), driving in 55 runs, and scoring 58 runs.

He played third base primarily as a freshman but moved to right field for the 2021 season with an eye on his professional future. He led the nation in outfield assists with eight.

The high selection makes it unlikely that Rhodes will return to UK for the 2022 season. His draft position will be slotted to make in the $800,000 range, although he was rumored to be looking for upwards of $1M, a figure the Orioles may have agreed in advance to meet.

Earlier in the draft, UK commitment Jackson Merrill, a top shortstop prospect from Maryland, was selected with the 27th overall pick by the San Diego Padres.