NC State pitcher Justin Lawson selected by New York Mets in 2023 MLB Draft

NC State pitcher Justin Lawson is off the board in the 2023 MLB Draft. The right-handed pitcher has been taken by the New York Mets in the 15th round. Lawson was drafted with the No. 456 overall pick.

Lawson was one of the top pitchers for the Wolfpack this season, leading NC State with a 3.27 ERA.

Justin Lawson also tied for the team lead in appearances, throwing in 27 games. All of his appearances were out of the bullpen.

The Louisiana native recorded three saves on the year. He struck out 67 batters in 52 1/3 innings pitched. Lawson had a 5-0 record on the year.

Lawson helped NC State reach the NCAA Tournament this past season. The Wolfpack did not advance out of the Columbia Regional.

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.