Alabama outfielder Andrew Pinckney selected by Washington Nationals in 2023 MLB Draft

Alabama had a whirlwind of a 2023 season, seeing their head coach get fired in the middle of SEC play. Thankfully, the ship was kept afloat and even thrived, with the Crimson Tide making a Super Regional under interim Jason Jackson. Andrew Pinckney was at the center of it all, being the main source of offense in Tuscaloosa.

Now, Pinckney will have the opportunity to showcase his talents at the professional level. He was selected with the No. 102 overall pick in the 2023 MLB Draft by the Washington Nationals. There were no Alabama batters selected last year but Pinckney ends the mini drought.

Pinckney spent four seasons with the Crimson Tide, really breaking out this past year by setting career highs in all major categories. He hit .339 in 233 plate appearances, adding 18 home runs and 58 RBIs. The OPS was well above 1.000 as well, coming in at 1.090.

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.