TCU third baseman Cole Fontenelle selected by Los Angeles Angels in 2023 MLB Draft

Former TCU third baseman Cole Fontenelle was selected by the Los Angeles Angels with the No. 204 overall pick in the seventh round of the 2023 MLB Draft.

During his final season with the Horned Frogs, he led the team with a .352 batting average totaling a team-high 21 doubles, was third on the team with 58 RBIs and rounded his slash line with a 639 slugging percentage and a .473 on-base percentage. He walked 45 times and stole 20 bases while also leading the squad with 26 multi-hit games. Fontenelle also ranked second with 15 multi-RBI performances.

On the defensive side of the plate, Fontenelle finished the 2023 college baseball season with a .991 fielding percentage and was responsible for 382 put-outs.

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.