Florida pitcher Hurston Waldrep was selected by the Atlanta Braves with the No. 24 pick in the first round of the 2023 MLB Draft.
Waldrep transferred to play for the Gators prior to the 2023 season after spending two years at Southern Mississippi. This spring, he finished with a 10-3 record, a 4.16 ERA, 156 strikeouts and 101.2 innings pitched.
In his career, Waldrep had a 17-5 record, a 3.68 ERA, 312 strikeouts and 208 innings pitched.
Florida catcher BT Riopelle discussed his confidence in Waldrep during the College World Series.
“Anytime that guy gets on the mound is a great advantage for us. Ultimately we have to go out and execute,” Riopelle said. “I think execution is the most important thing. You can throw out all the talent and throw out everything else. All that matters now is if you execute and make the pitch when it matters — or the at-bat when it matters or the defensive play when it matters.”
More on the 2023 MLB Draft
The 2023 Major League Baseball Draft will begin during All-Star week, with the first two rounds getting underway at 7 p.m. ET on Sunday, July 9. Rounds 3-10 will then begin at 2 p.m. ET on Monday, July 10, with rounds 11-20 starting at 2 p.m. ET on Tuesday, July 11.
This year’s MLB Draft is a historic one, as a draft lottery was used to determine the order for the first time. The Washington Nationals, Pittsburgh Pirates and Oakland Athletics each had a 16.5% chance to receive the No. 1 overall pick. Ultimately, Pittsburgh won the right to have the first selection, with Washington finishing right behind them at No. 2. Oakland, however, fell all the way down to No. 6 overall.
While the MLB Draft is always unpredictable, the consensus is that this year’s top prospects both hail from LSU, who won the 2023 College World Series. Pitcher Paul Skenes and outfielder Dylan Crews headline this year’s class, which is considered a deep one.
Within the first ten rounds of the draft, each slot is assigned a certain value. Each team has a bonus pool that they are able to spend on these picks, and players will sign at, above or below their assigned slot value.
In rounds 11-20, there is no assigned slot value and MLB teams are free to spend up to $150,000 to sign their picks from the second half of the draft. If they exceed the $150,000 mark, that added amount will be deducted from their bonus pool.
Following the final day of the 2023 MLB Draft, selected players will have until August 1 to sign a contract.
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