Former Gregori, Modesto JC baseball standout selected by Yankees Day 1 of MLB Draft
Former Gregori High and Modesto JC baseball standout Paul Contreras was taken on the first day of the Major League Baseball Draft Saturday afternoon.
Contreras was drafted in the fourth round by the New York Yankees with the 127th overall pick. The Salida native spent the last two seasons at Cal State Fullerton.
He was a Modesto Bee All-District basketball and baseball player during his senior year at Gregori. In 28 baseball games with the Jaguars in 2023, he recorded a .512 batting average with 41 hits, 24 RBI, nine doubles, five triples and a home run. On the mound he finished with a 2.90 earned run average with 36 strikeouts in 31.1 innings pitched.
The 6-foot-3, 205-pound draftee spent his freshman season as Modesto JC where he helped lead the Pirates to a 27-14 overall record, a fourth place finish in the Big 8 Conference (16-8) and a 3C2A NorCal Regional Playoff First Round appearance. He was named First Team All-Big 8 Conference and won a Gold Glove Award.
Contreras spent his sophomore and junior seasons on scholarship at Cal State Fullerton where he improved each year.
By the end of his junior season, he was named the 2026 Big West co-Field Player of the Year, the first Fullerton player to earn the honor since 2016. He was also named a Big West First-Team member and was selected to the ABCA/Rawlings West All-Region Second Team.
He finished first on the team and third in the Big West with a .346 batting average and added team highs in runs (40) and RBI (45). He also hit 14 home runs, the most by a Titan since 2010.
According to the Cal State Fullerton athletics website, Contreras is the highest-drafted player from the school since Colton Eastman in the 2018 MLB Draft (107th overall).
Contreras was the Yankees fourth pick on Saturday and was the second position player in the 2026 Draft the team selected.
He was also draft eligible in 2024 after his freshman year at MJC but went undrafted.
