Missouri infielder Luke Mann selected by Oakland Athletics in 2023 MLB Draft

Missouri Tigers infielder Luke Mann was selected by the Oakland A’s in the 14th round of the 2023 MLB Draft.

A redshirt senior, Luke Mann started 54 games as Missouri’s primary third baseman in 2023. On the year, he hit .311 with 21 home runs and 54 RBIs. He had a .680 slugging percentage while drawing 32 walks. All of those marks were career highs for Mann. However, his nine errors in the field were also a career high, though that could come down to playing more games than he ever had before.

Notably, Luke Mann started his career at Missouri as a two-way player, pitching in three games in 2019. He even started two games before giving up on the mound. He had a 1.50 ERA. An injury cut his freshman season short and played a key factor in his choice to give up pitching.

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.