Iowa LHP Jared Simpson selected by Washington Nationals in 2023 MLB Draft

Iowa pitcher Jared Simpson has officially heard his name called in the 2023 MLB Draft. The Washington Nationals selected him with the No. 225 overall pick in the eighth round.

Simpson is coming off a solid 2023 season in which he had a 4-3 record and a 6.54 ERA in 22 appearances. He made one start for Iowa, throwing 2.2 innings in the Hawkeyes’ 13-8 victory over Western Michigan in March. He also notably got his first win of the season against LSU as he struck out eight hitters in 4 2/3 innings of relief against the eventual national champions.

Simpson started his career at Missouri and struggled as a freshman before transferring to Iowa ahead of the 2022 season. He made 13 appearances in his first season with the Hawkeyes and had a 4.11 ERA.

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.