South Carolina pitcher Cade Austin selected by the New York Yankees in 2023 MLB Draft

The MLB just came calling for another Gamecock. The New York Yankees selected South Carolina pitcher Cade Austin with the No. 582 pick in the 19th round of the 2023 MLB Draft.

Austin made 23 appearances on the mound and one start for the Gamecocks in 2023. While on the diamond, Austin delivered 38 strikeouts in 29.2 innings pitched. Austin’s best moment came late in the season when he dealt a season-high five strikeouts in three innings vs. Charlotte.

For his efforts, the 6-foot-3 RHP earned a spot on the 2023 Stopper of the Year Watch List. Additionally, Austin was selected as a Collegiate Baseball Freshman All-American in 2022.

Perfect Game ranked the South Carolina native as the No. 274 overall player in the Class of 2020. Moreover, Austin was listed as the eighth-best RHP from his home state.

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.