Former Battle pitcher Tyler Putnam taken in fifth round of MLB Draft

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Columbia's own Tyler Putnam achieved something he's worked his whole life for, on Sunday, when he heard his name called by the Colorado Rockies with the No. 136 overall pick in the 2026 MLB Draft.

That made the Tennessee Volunteers signee the very first pick of the second day of the Draft.

"Obviously, I was hoping to hear my name called [on Saturday] and thought I had a good shot at it. Then, you know, things kind of played out to where it wasn't quite lining up, yesterday. You know, I kind of walked away from the end of the fourth round yesterday having some doubts about, you know, being selected on day two," Putnam said. "I was pretty content with heading off to Knoxville last night and, you know, even started having some conversations about how I was going to get out there this week and kind of start that process. Then, I went out last night downtown to actually get some FroYo and, you know, was just sitting in the car and trying to regroup and cleanse my mind a little bit and got the call from my agent that, you know, Colorado was interested in taking me with the very first pick this morning and so kind of had to to switch gears and things lined up."

You can watch the full interview with Putnam in the video player below.

Once Putnam heard from the Colorado Rockies, that helped him make the final decision between playing professional baseball or having a college career at Tennessee. The fifth-round selection announced to ABC 17 that he will - officially - be signing with Colorado.

"The plan is to sign with with Colorado and jump right into professional baseball," he said. "I've been talking with some of their people since the pick this morning and it's a it's pretty much done deal. I'm likely heading off to to Scottsdale here at the end of the week and and sign my contract this weekend."

The Columbia native said that the Rockies were one of the teams that he was intently watching, when the MLB Drafted started up, on Saturday, and he's excited to join an organization that is making the right kind of moves, as of late.

"Thing are trending the right way in their organization. They've made some changes here recently, and they're really starting to invest in the right places and really take a step forward as far as development goes with their minor leaguers. You know, me and my agent had discussed ahead of time that the Rockies team to look out for in the draft. He thought if things lined up that they were in serious considerations to pick me from the beginning and so I kind of had my eye on them yesterday, obviously knew that they were going to pick me last night and going into this morning. So, it was just a lot of thoughts running through my head. I hardly got any sleep last night, as you could imagine. But, you know, it's just super exciting. I'm excited to get in their organization and get into professional baseball, in general, as quick as possible and, you know, get my career started as an 18 year old," he said.

Of course, Mid-Missouri has grown accustomed to seeing the 2026 Missouri Gatorade Player of the Year light up opposing line-ups for Battle High School. The Spartans alum ended his senior season with 81 strikeouts over the course of about 40 innings. He also recorded a 1.38 ERA and a 0.91 WHIP.

Putnam said that he's now looking forward to representing his hometown on the national stage.

"I owe a ton to Columbia. It's pretty much giving me everything in my baseball career, starting at Daniel Boone Little League and working my way up to travel teams in the area and up into to Battle High School and, you know, having a great four years there. I just hope that left a lasting impact and, you know, a bit of a legacy at Battle High School, but also in the city of Columbia. [I hope] everybody can look at me one day and be like, you know, that kid represents the city well," Putnam said. "I'm excited to kind of have the city rally around me and wish me the best in the Rockies organization."

After his high school career wrapped up, Putnam made a trip out to Arizona for the MLB Combine, where he managed to turn quite a few heads, earning a draft grade of 45. The right-handed pitcher told ABC 17 that league scouts were impressed with his natural frame and projectability, as the Columbia native threw a fastball that topped off at 99.3 mph at the Combine.

When asked what Rockies fans can expect out of him, as he joins their organization, Putnam said they should be excited about the fact his potential for growth is massive.

"More than anything else, they're just getting a competitor, somebody who's going to show up to the facility every day with an itch to win and itch to get better and move myself up the ranks in their organization. I think it starts with those two things. Then, more than anything else, they're just getting a kid from Columbia, Missouri, who loves to be involved with the community, loves to have fan engagement and interaction and just loves seeing everybody show up and support the organization," he said. "You know, whether that's in Scottsdale or in Colorado or any of their their affiliates, I'm excited to kind of move through the ranks of their organization and get to see the different places and hopefully find myself in Denver one day."

Putnam is now one of four Tennessee signees that heard their name called in the 2026 MLB Draft, joining two-way prospect Jared Grindlinger, outfielder Trent Condon and pitcher Kaiden McCarthy.