By Andy Walter

Jake Gelof has followed in his big brother Zack’s foosteps before.

The Rehoboth Beach native was happy to do it again on Sunday when he was selected in the Major League Baseball Draft.

The younger Gelof, a third baseman, went to the Los Angeles Dodgers with the 60th pick in the draft.

That’s the exact same pick that Zack went with when he was the No. 60 selection by the Oakland Athletics in 2021. He’s now in the A’s Class AAA team in Las Vegas.

The Gelofs are tied for being the sixth-highest draft pick for a player from Delaware.

Both Gelof brothers played collegiately at Virginia. With 48 home runs, Jake broke the Cavaliers’ record for career homers this past spring as a redshirt junior.

Like Zack, Jake started his high school career at Cape Henlopen High. After two seasons, though, he transferred to IMG Academy in Florida.

Jake twice broke Virginia’s record for RBI in a season with 81 in 2022 and 84 in 2023 with 84. He is the only player with 70 or 80 RBI in two different season in program history.

Virginia coach Brian O’Connor described Gelof’s swing as “ferocious”  last year,

“I said last year when we injected (Gelof) into the lineup that he brought something different and special to last year’s lineup that we didn’t have,” O’Connor was quoted in The Daily Progress.

“And that was someone who’d get up there and get his money’s worth every time. He certainly does that. You might be able to beat him on a pitch, but you’re going to have a tough time repeating that pitch and beating him.”

The 6-foot-1, 195-pound Gelof was expected to be taken in the first two rounds of this year’s draft after opting not to use his final season of college eligibility. He was predicted as the No. 35 pick according to MLB.com.

"A right-handed-hitting corner infielder, Gelof does not get cheated at the plate," said Gelof's scouting report on MLB.com. "He has an aggressive approach, looking to do damage and tap into his huge raw power, especially to the pull side.

"Gelof takes big swings, but he showed an ability to get to his power in 2022, limit strikeouts, draw walks and make adjustments, even if some think he’ll be power-over-hit when all is said and done."