South Carolina RHP Jack Mahoney selected by Colorado Rockies in 2023 MLB Draft

South Carolina RHP Jack Mahoney has been selected by the Colorado Rockies in the third round of the 2023 MLB Draft.

The junior starter logged a record of 7-4 in 17 apperances and posted a 4.16 ERA during his 2023 season with the Gamecocks. He totaled 84.1 innings pitched facing 370 total batters, striking out 86 of them. Mahoney also allowed 45 runs on 86 hits, eight of which went over the fence.

His strongest performance of the 2023 season came against Tennessee on May 20, where he struck out nine Vols en route to a 6-1 victory. Mahoney pitched 6.0 innings and allowed three hits in the outing.

The performance was actually the second time he struck nine batters out in a single game. Dealing with an injury early in the season, Mahoney’s first game back on the mound on Feb. 19 against UMass Lowell saw him strike out nine in 5.2 shutout innings.

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.