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Tanner Witt announces return to Texas after MLB Draft selection

IMG_0985by: Griffin McVeigh07/12/23griffin_mcveigh
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Tanner Witt (Will Gallagher/Inside Texas)

Tanner Witt likely celebrated on Tuesday, with his name being called at the 2023 MLB Draft by the Baltimore Orioles. He was the No. 541 overall pick in the 18th round and would have the opportunity to get his professional career underway.

However, Witt is coming back for another season of college baseball. Witt announced he will be returning to Texas for the 2024 season, a huge win for head coach David Pierce.

Witt has suffered injuries throughout his college career, missing a majority of the 2023 season. He threw in just 10.2 innings, allowing 13 runs while striking out eight and walking the same amount. At the time, it was just about getting back on the mound and regaining health.

Now back in Austin for another year, Witt can get back to his ways of being a highly-thought of pitcher. And then next summer, another MLB team might be willing to select Witt higher than the 18th round.

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.