Oregon pitcher Jace Stoffal selected in eighth round of 2023 MLB Draft
The ace of Oregon’s pitching staff will have a big decision looming ahead of the 2024 season.
Ducks’ junior right-hander pitcher Jace Stoffal was selected in the eighth round with the 237th overall pick of the 2023 Major League Baseball Draft on Monday. He becomes the second Duck off the board after the Atlanta Braves selected infielder Sabin Ceballos in the third round, with the 94th overall pick.
The 237th overall pick has a slot value of $202,200.
Stoffal, a Roseburg, Ore., native who began his career at Umpqua Community College, emerged as Oregon’s Friday night starter in 2023 and performed like one of the best pitchers in college baseball throughout the first two months of the season.
In 10 starts, Stoffal went 6-2 and posted a 2.83 ERA. He struck out 56 batters in 57 1/3 innings. However, his final start of the season came during the Ducks’ April 28 win over Arizona State due to an undisclosed injury.
Throughout May and June, Oregon head coach Mark Wasikowski was optimistic that Stoffal would pitch for the Ducks during the postseason. However, he remained sidelined throughout Oregon’s run to the NCAA Super Regionals.
Earlier in the draft, Oregon signee Noble Meyer was the first prep pitcher off the board when the Miami Marlins selected him with the 10th overall pick.
The Milwaukee Brewers selected Ducks’ shortstop signee Eric Bitonti in the third round with the 87th overall pick.
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.
