Miami Hurricanes first baseman CJ Kayfus selected by Guardians in 2023 MLB Draft

Miami Hurricanes first baseman CJ Kayfus has been selected in the 2023 MLB Draft by the Cleveland Guardians with the No. 93 overall pick.

In 2022, CJ Kayfus was an All-ACC Second-Team selection and was considered the team’s MVP. That year, his sophomore season, Kayfus hit .366 with eight home runs. As a junior in 2023, Kayfus’ batting average took a step back, at .347 for the season. However, his on-base percentage actually went up from .460 to .464 because he walked eight more times in two fewer at-bats.

Kayfus finished his career at Miami with 24 home runs in 162 games played, or a full MLB season. He had a .350 batting average, a .548 slugging percentage, and 98 RBIs. He only had seven errors at first base in his entire college career.

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.