Stanford P Joey Dixon selected by Houston Astros in 2023 MLB Draft

The Houston Astros selected Stanford pitcher Joey Dixon with the final pick (No. 224 overall) in the seventh round of the 2023 MLB Draft.

During his final season as a Cardinal, Dixon appeared in 21 games for Stanford — all starts — and went on to log a perfect 7-0 win-loss record, while pitching 83.2 total innings. He allowed 73 hits, 23 of which were for extra bases, but managed to strike out 90 of the 311 batters he faced and ended the season with a 4.73 ERA, 1.39 WHIP while opposing batters hit .235 off him.

He becomes the second Stanford pitcher to be drafted during the event, joining fellow starter Quinn Mathews, who was drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals in the fourth round earlier in the day on Monday.

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.