NC State pitcher Rio Britton selected by the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2023 MLB Draft

Rio Britton’s name just got called. The Arizona Diamondbacks selected the NC State pitcher with the No. 445 overall pick in the 15th round of the 2023 MLB Draft.

Britton was the alpha dog for the Wolfpack. The junior pitcher tossed 42 strikeouts and allowed just 19 walks over 31.2 innings pitched. Britton recorded 12 scoreless outings and allowed multiple runs on only six occasions. Overall, Britton finished the 2023 season with a 4.83 ERA.

Prior to joining NC State, Britton spent two seasons with the Oregon Ducks. In his sophomore season, Britton boasted a 4-1 record on 34 appearances with a 2-0 mark in PAC-12 play.

Perfect Game ranked Britton as the No. 500 overall player in the Class of 2020. Further, Britton was listed as only the eighth-best left-handed pitcher from California. With a spot waiting for him on the Diamondbacks, Britton’s California friends can travel to their neighboring state to watch him on the mound.

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.