Texas A&M shortstop Stanley Tucker selected by Boston Red Sox in 2023 MLB Draft

Texas A&M shortstop Stanley Tucker has heard his name called in the 2023 MLB Draft. Tucker was drafted by the Boston Red Sox in the 19th round. He was taken with the No. 568 overall pick in the draft.

Tucker appeared in 20 games for the Aggies this past season, making three starts. He hit .273 with two doubles and two RBIs.

Stanley Tucker started his college career at Wharton Junior College. From there, he transferred to New Mexico Junior College for the 2022 season. In 2022, Tucker hit .407 with 17 home runs and 90 RBIs, while being named a NJCAA first-team All-American.

It was a disappointing season for Tucker and the Aggies, who saw their season come to an end by losing to Stanford in the regional round of the NCAA Tournament. Still, Tucker is getting a chance to play pro baseball.

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.