LOUISVILLE, Ky. (KT) – Patrick Forbes came to the University of Louisville baseball team for the 2023 season from Bowling Green as a two-way player. He’s leaving as a one-way player with a bright future, which comes as no surprise to U of L coach Dan McDonnell.

Forbes, a right-handed pitcher, was selected by the Arizona Diamondbacks Sunday night with the No. 19 overall pick in the first round of the 2025 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft. Two additional Louisville players were selected in the continuation of the draft Monday – third baseman Jake Munroe, 4th round, 109 overall by the Los Angeles Angels; and catcher Matt Klein, 6th round, 167 by the Colorado Rockies. McDonnell has now had 108 draft selections in his 19 seasons with U of L.

Forbes is the highest-drafted Cardinal since catcher/outfielder Henry Davis was taken first overall in 2021 by the Pittsburgh Pirates, and is the 10th player in program history to be drafted in the first round. Davis, who got a $6.5 million signing bonus, is currently on the Pirates’ roster as a catcher/right-fielder. He has appeared in 46 games and is batting .198.

Talking about Forbes prior to the Cards’ trip to the College World Series last month, McDonnell said the 6-3, 220-pounder has the physical tools and the mental ability to succeed on the major league level.

“The world of pitching is you’ve got to pitch out of jams. Yeah, you might get an inning or two where the ball gets hit right at people, three up, three down. But baseball’s not supposed to be easy. You’ve got to pitch out of the stretch, you’ve got to control the running game, you’ve got to make pitches with runners in scoring position.

“And that’s where someone like Patrick, who’s a great athlete, a two-way player who hasn’t pitched a whole lot, excels. Yeah, he’s been on the mound, but he hasn’t been in enough of those situations. I thought this was going to be a huge growth year for him, and this last month he’s pitched out of the stretch, out of jams, not let it snowball on him. That’s what pitching is. His best days are ahead of him. Pro ball knows that because of how fresh he is, his body, his arm, his mindset. Some organization is going to get a future super star and it’s going to be fun to watch his career.”

Forbes, who missed three weeks of the season with a hip injury, finished with a modest 4-2 record and a 4.42 ERA, but he came on strong during Louisville’s post-season run. For the year, he struck out 117 batters in 71 1/3 innings to lead the ACC in strikeouts per nine innings at 14.76, which was third nationally.

Forbes was a shortstop/pitcher at Bowling Green High School, where he was named 2022 Mr. Baseball by the Kentucky High School Baseball Coaches Association.

At U of L, he was an outfielder as a freshman, hitting .258 in 93 at-bats. Moving into a full-time pitching role as a sophomore, he logged 29 innings across 12 appearances. This season he struck out 11 on opening night against No. 7 Texas and notched a career-best 13 against Cal, and again vs. East Tennessee State in the opening round of the Nashville Regional.

Forbes’ fast ball averaged 94-96 mph, sometimes hitting 100. According to MLBanalysis.com, pro scouts not only like his velocity but view his slider as a plus pitch with good break and believe his changeup also shows promise.