Clemson outfielder commit Dillon Head selected by San Diego Padres in 2023 MLB Draft

Illinois native and Clemson outfielder commit Dillon Head has been selected in the 2023 MLB Draft. The San Diego Padres selected him with the No. 25 overall selection in the first round on Sunday night.

Head is one of the top high school outfielders in the country and is ranked as the No. 14 overall player in the nation, according to Perfect Game. Head committed to Clemson in July of 2022, but he could now begin his professional baseball career.

Dillon Head hit .485 with 10 doubles, two triples and six home runs this past season. He also stole 31 bases. The Homewood Flossmoor High School star will help a Clemson program that won the ACC Tournament Championship this past season if he does end up coming to college.

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.