Duke SS Alex Mooney selected by Guardians in 2023 MLB Draft

Duke SS Alex Mooney has been selected by the Cleveland Guardians in the seventh round of the 2023 MLB Draft. He was picked No. 218 overall.

In 2023, Mooney’s .315 batting average finished tied for second on the team in batting average and was tied for first with 80 total hits. He led the team with 20 doubles, was second on the Blue Devils’ squad in walks with 36 and led the team with 21 stolen bases.

His accolades over the 2023 college baseball season include being named to the All-ACC First Team, was a Brooks Wallace Award Semifinalist and named the Conway All-Regional Team Shortstop.

Mooney is the first Duke shortstop to be draft since 2021 when Ethan Murray was taken in the fifth round by the Milwaukee Brewers.

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.