Michigan pitcher Connor O'Halloran selected by Toronto Blue Jays in 2023 MLB Draft

The wait is over for former Michigan pitcher Connor O’Halloran in the 2023 MLB Draft. The 2023 Big Ten Pitcher of the Year was selected by the Toronto Blue Jays in the fifth round of the 2023 MLB Draft.

O’Halloran came to Michigan ahead of the 2021 season as a high school prospect from Mississauga, Ontario, Canada. After making a scant six appearances as a true freshman coming out of the bullpen, he moved into the starting rotation in 2022.

In his sophomore campaign, O’Halloran made 18 starts and did solid work in the middle of Michigan’s starting rotation. He finished with a 5-4 win-loss record while opposing hitters batted .269 off him across 92.2 innings of work.

As Michigan’s first starter in 2023, he dazzled and earned the Big Ten honors as the best pitcher of the season. O’Halloran started 15 games, going 8-6 while holding opposing hitters to a .231 average. In 103 innings of work, he gave up 54 runs and finished the season with a 4.11 ERA. He cut his walks allowed from 40 to 26 and struck out 110 batters.

A 6-foot-2 lefty, O’Halloran could be a backend starter or a bullpen piece for a Major League organization.

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.