Oregon Ducks pitcher Isaac Ayon selected by Nationals in 2023 MLB Draft

One of the key pitchers from the 2022 Oregon Ducks baseball team has found a new home at the next level. The Ducks’ right-handed pitcher Isaac Ayon has just heard his name called in the 2023 MLB Draft, as the Washington Nationals selected him with the No. 585 overall pick.

Ayon missed the 2023 season due to an injury. Ducks head coach Mark Wasikowski was optimistic about his return back to the starting lineup in May, but unfortunately, that never came to pass. The season prior to that for Oregon, Ayon was in the Ducks’ starting rotation and was one of their bigger arms on the mound. He finished 2022 with a 4-4 record and an ERA of 5.67 with 80 strikeouts over 81.3 innings of work.

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.