Texas A&M pitcher Will Johnston selected by Oakland Athletics in 2023 MLB Draft

Texas A&M pitcher Will Johnston has heard his name called in the 2023 MLB Draft. The Oakland Athletics selected him with the No. 376 overall pick in the 13th round on Tuesday.

Johnston’s career in College Station got off to a rocky start, but he seemed to put it together the last two seasons. In 2023, he went 3-3 with a 5.89 ERA in 27 appearances, including six starts. That came after a 2022 season in which he had a 3-1 mark with a 3.25 ERA in 23 games. He also notched four saves in both seasons.

One of Johnston’s biggest performances of the season came against LSU. He threw six innings and allowed three runs as Texas A&M came away with the 5-4 victory.

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.