Florida shortstop Colby Shelton returning to school after being selected in MLB Draft

Florida shortstop Colby Shelton will be returning to play for the Gators, despite being selected in the 2024 MLB Draft.

Shelton announced his decision Monday morning after being picked by the Washington Nationals in the 20th round of the MLB Draft earlier this month.

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“Not done yet, Gator Nation,” Shelton posted.

Not done yet, Gator Nation 🐊 pic.twitter.com/hYbG17HSZY

— Colby Shelton (@ColbyShelton9) July 29, 2024

Colby Shelton, who transferred to Florida after starting his career at Alabama, helped the Gators to the College World Series in 2024.

Shelton was drafted by the Washington Nationals in the 20th of the MLB Draft, taken with the No. 590 overall pick.

was a tremendous player at Alabama and mostly continued that level of success at Florida. As a freshman in 2023 with the Crimson Tide, Shelton earned Freshman All-American honors from Collegiate Baseball News, D1Baseball.com, Baseball America and the NCBWA. Shelton was also named to the Freshman All-SEC team.

Shelton didn’t quite have the same level of productivity at Florida, but still put together a solid season for the Gators. Shelton hit .254 with 20 home runs, 14 doubles and a triple, for a slugging percentage of .551 in his first season at Florida. He struck out 82 times in 256 at-bats while drawing 35 walks. He finished the 2024 season with 56 RBI.

That came on the heels of a season where he hit .300 at Alabama with 25 home runs, 10 doubles and a triple. He added 51 RBI and scored 49 runs, while adding 33 walks and 10 hits-by-pitch. Shelton set the Alabama single-season home run record for freshmen by a considerable margin.

Jac Caglianone signs $7.5 million rookie contract with Kansas City Royals

While one Florida infielder will be returning to school, another has signed a massive contract with the Kansas City Royals.

Former Florida slugger Jac Caglianone officially signed his rookie contract last week. According to Kiley McDaniel, Caglianone signed a deal with the Royals worth $7.5 million. Slot value for the sixth overall pick was $7,213,800.

Caglianone was taken with the No. 6 overall selection in the first round. Leading up to the draft, he was projected as a Top 5 overall selection by many services and ranked as the No. 3 overall prospect, according to MLB.com.

He recently guided the Florida Gators to the College World Series, shattering several school records in the process. The superstar recently set the program record in career home runs, when he launched the 75th long ball of his career against the Kentucky Wildcats in the College World Series.

He also became the first player in SEC history to post back-to-back seasons of 30 or more home runs. During the Gators’ impressive postseason run in 2024, Caglianone was his usual dominant self, going 16 for 36 at the plate (.444) with six home runs and 18 RBIs in just 11 NCAA Tournament games.