UCLA outfielder AJ Salgado has signed with the New York Mets as an undrafted free agent, joining the team on Thursday. Salgado is the second player from UCLA’s 2025 squad to enter professional baseball, following Cody Delvecchio, who was picked in the 12th round of the MLB Draft by the San Francisco Giants.
Salgado had a standout final season at UCLA, earning Second Team All-Big Ten honors. He recorded a .312 batting average with 19 doubles and 13 stolen bases. He also hit 12 home runs, drove in 56 runs, and scored 58 times. His achievements included becoming the first Bruin since 2012 to have double-digit totals in both home runs and steals. Notable moments of his season were two home runs against Nebraska, a grand slam versus BYU, and a crucial homer against Northwestern that secured the regular season title. In postseason play, he hit .345 and contributed significantly in UCLA’s Men’s College World Series opener against Murray State.
Over his three seasons at UCLA, Salgado played in 138 games with 126 starts. He accumulated a career .294 batting average with 145 hits, including 26 doubles and 16 homers. Before attending UCLA, Salgado excelled at Cal State LA where he earned Second Team All-Region honors and First Team All-CCAA recognition.
