Former Michigan State first baseman Brock Vradenburg is taking the next step toward a shot at playing in the show. The slugger was taken 78th overall by the Miami Marlins in the third round of the 2023 MLB Draft.
A junior, Vradenburg exploded offensively in his third season in East Lansing. In 74 games his first two seasons, he was batting .258 on his career. But starting all 55 games for MSU in 2023, Vradenburg swung one of the hottest bats in the conference.
Vradenburg hit a cool .400 in 2023, setting career highs in hits, RBIs, runs, home runs, doubles, triples and bases on balls. Most of his single-season totals in 2023 outpaced his prior two seasons combined.
His .400 batting average was second in the Big Ten and tied for No. 23 nationally.
Vradenburg was a semifinalist for the Golden Spikes Award, given annually to the best player in college baseball, and earned a third-team All-American nod from Collegiate Baseball.
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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