Former Blue Devil picked by Mariners in MLB Draft

Curtis Washington Jr. selected by Seattle after breakout season at Purdue University

ralphhardin@gmail.com His college playing career might have gotten off to a rocky start but former West Memphis baseball star Curtis Washington Jr. turned a standout season at Purdue University into a chance to go pro.

Washington was the second Purdue player chosen in the 2022 Major League Baseball Draft, one day after pitcher Jackson Smeltz was taken by San Diego, the former Blue Devil was picked by Seattle in the 19th round.

The draft lasts only 20 rounds and Washington will have a decision to make on whether to join the Mariners or return to the Boilermakers. MLB teams have until 5 p.m. on Aug. 1 to sign their picks.

Washington transferred to Purdue prior to the 2022 season from Wabash Valley Junior College. He led the Big Ten in stolen bases during the 2022 season and helped the Boilermakers break the program's singleseason record. Washington became the first Purdue player to lead the team in hits (69), runs (52) and steals (31) since 2016.

It’s almost 600 miles to Sugar Land, Texas, where Purdue is located, but that’s only if you go straight there, which is far from how Washington ended up playing for the Boilermakers. His college playing career started after being scouted by the University of Arkansas 5A state baseball tournament at Greenwood his senior year back in 2019. The Blue Devils, coached by Gary Cordell, met Benton in the first round. Washington led off the game with a triple to the centerfield wall, which caught the attention of a scout for the Pro Baseball Report. A couple of phone calls later and Washington’s name was given to Dave Van Horn, head coach of the Razorbacks. Van Horn offered Washington a spot on the Hogs team for 2019.

The former Blue Devil had a lot of talented players ahead of him in the depth chart but he had success in limited opportunities. With a desire to play more often, Washington transferred. He enjoyed a stellar season for Wabash Valley Junior College in Mt. Carmel, Ill., in 2021, so much so that his name was bandied about as a possible pick in the Major League Baseball draft, although that did not come to fruition. It was then that he made the move to Purdue.

Washington, playing exclusively as a centerfielder now after stints as a corner outfielder and shortstop, put up some ridiculous numbers this spring for Wabash. The Arkansas Razorback transfer hit .412 with 8 home runs and 63 RBI. If those numbers weren’t spectacular enough, consider that Washington had a .511 onbase percentage and a slugging percentage of .629 for a crazy 1.203 OPS.

Playing for the Boilermakers, Washington had the opportunity to contribute right off the bat in a 5-4 victory over South Dakota State on Opening Day back on Feb. 11. The Boilermakers overcame an early 4-1 deficit and Washington knocked in the go-ahead run with a twoout double in the seventh inning, finishing the day with two hits and two RBI in his Purdue debut.

Washington and teammate Mike Bolton Jr. were also aboard with two outs in the third inning when Cam Thompson worked the count full. The runners being in motion on the pitch allowed Washington to score from second base on Thompson’s hot shot into the hole on the left side even though the SDSU shortstop kept the ball on the infield.

And the former Blue Devil hasn’t looked back.

While this year’s draft meant another possibility of getting drafted, Washington was low key about his prospects ahead of the draft.

“Right now, I’m a Purdue

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Photo courtesy of Purdue Baseball WASHINGTON (cont.)

Boilermaker,” Washington said.

But once his name was called, the West Memphis native was quick to go all in with Seattle.

“Let’s gooooo!” he posted to his Twitter account.

“Mariners, you got a dawg!!”

The Boilermakers social media team shared the tweet, adding some kudos for the young outfielder in a post titled “Swaggc5 Gets the Call.”

“Curtis is one of the most exciting players we’ve had during our Alexander Field era (since 2012),” said the tweet. “Thrilled to see the Mariners select the West Memphis native in the MLB Draft #BoilerUp.”

Among the MLB organizations which showed the most interest, according to Washington, were the Red Sox, Phillies, Orioles, Dodgers, Pirates, Padres and Braves, but ultimately it was the Mariners who called his name.

The journey, it would seem, is far from over for Washington, who might find himself going from West Memphis to the West Coast when it’s all said and done.