Auburn 3B Bryson Ware selected by Philadelphia Phillies in 2023 MLB Draft

Auburn is coming off a great season and is being rewarded in the 2023 MLB Draft. Another Tigers player is off the board, with third basemen Bryson Ware being selected by the Philadelphia Phillies. The pick occurred in the eighth round, coming in at No. 253 overall.

Ware spent three seasons on the Plains, originally being a Junior College product. His 2023 campaign was a breakout one, putting up the best numbers of his career at the plate. In 58 games played, Ware hit .350 with 24 home runs and 63 RBIs. The OPS was well over 1.000 as well, coming in at 1.169.

Now, entering the Philadelphia farm system and working toward making the Majors is the goal for Ware. He will get a nice signing bonus for being drafted, even if it’s in the 10th round.

A big moment for Ware and his family, his professional baseball journey is officially underway.

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.