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Penn State pitcher Daniel Ouderkirk selected by Seattle Mariners in 2023 MLB Draft

PeterWarrenPhoto2by: Peter Warren07/11/23thepeterwarren
Wagner v Penn State
(Photo by Andy Mead/ISI Photos/Getty Images)

Penn State pitcher Daniel Ouderkirk was selected in the 18th round of the 2023 MLB Draft by the Seattle Mariners with the No. 547 overall pick.

Ouderkirk arrived after four years at West Virginia, albeit he only pitched in two of them. This season with the Nittany Lions, Ouderkirk pitched in 12 games with 10 starts to the tune of a 7.26 ERA and 2-4 record. He pitched in 25 games with just one start in 2021 and 2022 with the Mountaineers.

Shortstop Jay Harry was the only other Penn State player to be selected in the MLB Draft. Harry went in the sixth round to the Minnesota Twins as the No. 177 overall selection.

More on the 2023 MLB Draft, what’s next for Daniel Ouderkirk

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 like Daniel Ouderkirk will have until August 1 to sign a contract.