Oklahoma infielder Dakota Harris selected by St. Louis Cardinals in MLB Draft

Oklahoma Sooners infielder Dakota Harris was selected by the St. Louis Cardinals in the 11th round of the 2023 MLB Draft.

Known for his excellent glove, Dakota Harris was named Defensive Player of the Year in his freshman and sophomore seasons. He followed that up with another solid season in the field in 2023, with only seven errors.

At the plate in 2023, Harris had a .328 batting average. He added seven home runs and 48 RBIs with a .516 slugging percentage to that average, primarily playing shortstop. He flashed his speed at times, stealing five bases on the season. However, it’s clear that his glove is well ahead of his bat. The Cardinals will undoubtedly give him time to work through that, though, and develop as a hitter.

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.