North Carolina pitcher Max Carlson selected by Boston Red Sox in 2023 MLB Draft

North Carolina right-handed pitcher Max Carlson has been selected in the 12th round by the Boston Red Sox with the No. 358 overall selection in the 2023 MLB Draft.

He pitched in 17 games with 14 starts this past spring with a 5-2 record, one save and a 5.45 ERA. Opponents hit .256 off him during the season. In 2022, Carlson started all 18 of his appearances, finishing the season with a 4-3 record, 3.71 ERA and 88 strikeouts in 77.2 innings.

Three North Carolina players were selected in the draft this year with Mac Horvath going in the second round to the Baltimore Orioles and Tomas Frick going in the 15th round to the New York Yankees.

More on the 2023 MLB Draft, what’s next for Max Carlson

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 like Max Carlson will have until August 1 to sign a contract.