Tennessee pitcher Bryce Jenkins selected by New York Mets in 2023 MLB Draft

Tennessee pitcher Bryce Jenkins was selected in the 17th round of the 2023 MLB Draft by New York Mets with the No. 516 overall pick.

Jenkins spent the first three years of his career at Cleveland State Community College before transferring to Tennessee this past season. He made 18 appearances out of the bullpen with a 5.51 ERA.

At Cleveland State Community College, Jenkins had a 11-9 record in 27 appearances with 26 starts.

Eight Tennessee players were chosen in the 2023 MLB Draft, highlighted by right-handed pitcher Chase Dollinger. One of the top college prospects in the draft, Dollinger went No. 9 overall to the Colorado Rockies in the first round.

Six of the Volunteers drafted were pitchers.

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 like Bryce Jenkins will have until August 1 to sign a contract.