ATLANTA, Ga. – Portland Pilots catcher Tyler Howard was drafted in the 11
th round of the 2025 MLB Draft on Monday, with the Cleveland Guardians taking him with the 342
nd pick of the draft. Howard is now the 11
th Pilot to be taken since Portland head coach Geoff Loomis took over the program in 2016 and the 70
th Pilot in Portland history.
Howard is one of six Pilots to now be active currently with an MLB organization, joining Chad Stevens, Cooper Hummel, Sam Stuhr, Nick Brink and Joey Gartrell. Stevens recently earned his first call up to the big leagues with the Los Angeles Angels while Hummel currently plays for the Houston Astros. Brink is with the Beloit Sky Carp in High A while Stuhr and Gartrell are in Single A with the Stockton Ports and Salem Red Sox respectively.
Howard was stellar for the Pilots in his junior season, batting .379 in 39 games with 58 hits, three home runs and 27 RBI's. He led the Pilots in batting average and ranked second in the WCC in the category. He was also second in on-base percentage (.481) and 10
th in OPS (.978). This season, he put together a 31-game on-base streak that was the longest by a Pilot since Ben Ortman in the 1993 season.
Howard was an All-WCC Second Team selection this season after earning honorable mention in 2024. The Vancouver native hit .354 in three seasons for his Pilot career, which is third all-time among Pilots with at least 200 career at-bats. His .444 on-base percentage is second all-time for the Pilots as well.
The Pilots went 22-30 overall this season and also 13-11 in WCC play, qualifying for the WCC Tournament for the fourth straight season. They've posted five straight seasons of 20 wins or more for the first time since 2012 and have done so in seven of the last eight seasons.
Portland Head Coach Geoff Loomis on Howard
"I received a very excited call today from Tyler after being drafted by the Guardians in the 11th. To be honest, I was fired up as well. A small percentage of the best players across the country get a chance at a professional career and I couldn't be happier for him, his family, and Pilot nation."
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