Arkansas SS commit Nazzan Zanetello selected by the Boston Red Sox in 2023 MLB Draft

Arkansas shortstop commit Nazzan Zanetello has officially heard his name called in the 2023 MLB Draft. The Boston Red Sox selected him No. 50th overall.

Zanetello played high school baseball at Christian Brothers College (MO) and put together a strong season this past year. He had a .421 batting average to go with nine home runs, 33 RBI, 21 stolen bases and an .813 slugging percentage to make himself one of the most sought-after prospects in the country.

Zanetello initially committed to Miami to play college baseball, but ended up flipping to Arkansas. In addition to his skills at shortstop, he’s proven he can also play the outfield, making him a versatile and intriguing prospect as he weights whether or not to go on to the big leagues.

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.