Ole Miss shortstop Jacob Gonzalez selected by the Chicago White Sox in 2023 MLB Draft

It’s another proud day for the Ole Miss baseball program, having a player selected in the first round of the 2023 MLB Draft. Shortstop Jacob Gonzalez heard Commissioner Rob Manfred call his name on Sunday night in Seattle with the Chicago White Sox selecting him.

Gonzalez was the No. 15 overall pick in the first round. He now joins the White Sox organization and will instantly become one of their top prospects.

After having a tough 2022 season, Gonzalez bounced back in a big way. The Ole Miss shortstop hit .327 with 10 home runs and drove in 51 RBIs. His slugging percentage was at a career-high .564 thanks to his double total doubling from a year ago.

Gonzalez will leave a national champion as well, earning the honor in the summer of 2022. A great career under head coach Mike Bianco, being the latest Ole Miss player to make the professional jump. Sooner rather than later, we will see Gonzalez up in 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.