Bulldog Baseball Standout Felix Minjarez '18 Signs with San Diego Padres

Felix Minjarez '18 was signed by the San Diego Padres as a free agent.
Posted: Jun 14, 2018

The University of Redlands baseball team received the news that Bulldog pitcher Felix Minjarez '18 (Riverside, CA) has signed with the San Diego Padres as a post-draft free agent.  He heads to Arizona today for on-field preparation at the organization's spring training facility.

"It's a lifelong dream come true.  I'm just grateful for an opportunity to keep playing baseball," Minjarez commented.

Minjarez completed his four-year Redlands career with a pair of All-America accolades and multiple All-West Region and All-Conference awards.  In 2017 alone, he was named the pitcher of the year by the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC), D3baseball.com, and the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA).

Overall, he made 54 appearances and 50 starts while producing an ERA of 3.11 with 31 total wins in four seasons.  He registered 327.1 innings pitched and 321 strikeouts for nearly nine Ks per nine innings. 

As the Friday starter during his senior campaign, Minjarez fanned 94 batters to rank 17th in the nation and fourth in the West Region.  Furthermore, he led the team with 90.2 innings pitched in 14 starts for a 7-3 record during the Bulldogs' record-breaking season that concluded with a trip to the NCAA West Regional Tournament. 

Minjarez completed his degree in Business Administration earlier this spring.

"I am extremely excited for Felix to get the chance to play for the Padres organization. Aside from all of his individual accomplishments in our program, which are many, Felix has been an exemplary leader and teammate. He deserves a shot to be a professional baseball player and chase his dream. There is no doubt in my mind that he will represent his family and the University of Redlands in the best manner. I wish him the best," stated Head Coach Aaron Holley.

In addition to Minjarez, the Padres picked up Bulldog catcher Rainier Aguilar '18 (San Bernardino, CA) during the Major League Baseball draft earlier this month.  Aguilar caught for Minjarez, among other pitchers, during the 2018 Redlands baseball season.