2025 MLB Draft: Jake Clemente contract details revealed for Miami Marlins seventh-round pick

A week after getting drafted by the Miami Marlins in the seventh round of the 2025 MLB Draft, former Florida right-handed pitcher Jake Clemente has signed his pro contract. He’ll receive $500,000, a deal well over slot value, according to a report by MLB.com’s Jim Callis.

Slot value for the pick Clemente was taken at — No. 198 overall — was $309,400. Suffice it to say the Marlins wanted to ensure they landed the flame-throwing righty.

Among Florida players in the draft, Clemente was the second selection for the Gators. He trailed shortstop Colby Shelton, who went with pick No. 166 in the sixth round to the Chicago White Sox.

Jake Clemente is coming off a strong redshirt sophomore campaign. He made 21 appearances, including five weekend starts. He eventually shifted out of the weekend rotation, but he was still a vital piece for the Gators.

He produced a career-best 3.46 ERA while working 54.2 innings pitched. He struck out 77 batters while walking just 25. Meanwhile, Jake Clemente set career-bests with 12.7 strikeouts per nine innings, 4.1 walks per nine innings and a 3.1 strikeout-to-walk ratio.

After moving from the starting rotation at the beginning of the season, Clemente eventually locked down the closer role for Florida in 2025. He notched seven saves, with all seven of them coming within the final 27 games of the season.

MLB.com had a solid write-up on Jake Clemente as a prospect prior to the MLB Draft. The publication wrote the following:

“A 6-foot-3 right-hander, Clemente checks off a lot of boxes in terms of size and power stuff. He has more than enough fastball, averaging close to 95 mph and touching 98-99 mph this year in shorter stints, missing a good amount of bats with his lively heater. He backs it up with a mid-80s slider that has more downer action and can be an effective secondary offering. In the past, he has shown some feel for a changeup, but it’s largely gathered dust on the shelf this spring.

“While Clemente has been very tough to square up, with a high strikeout rate and low batting average against, he’s also struggled at times in finding the strike zone consistently when his delivery gets out of whack. Because of that and the lack of a third pitch, most see his future as a reliever, but there have been some Gators relievers who find some success when sent out to start on the pro side, like Christian Scott or Dane Dunning.”