Tennessee SS Maui Ahuna selected by San Francisco Giants in 2023 MLB Draft

After spending just one season in Knoxville, Maui Ahuna is now a professional player. The Tennessee shortstop was drafted with the No. 117 in the fourth round of the 2023 MLB Draft, with the San Francisco Giants selecting him. A big day for Ahuna and his family, seeing his one season with the Volunteers pay off.

Ahuna began his college career with Kansas, spending some time in the Big 12. He decided to jump for an SEC program and was a big hit in the NCAA transfer portal. Head coach Tony Vitello eventually won out for the shortstop and Ahuna wound up an everyday player for a College World Series team.

There were some eligibility issues at the beginning of the season but Ahuna eventually got on the field. He wound up a .312 hitter, having eight home runs and knocking in 42 RBIs. Ahuna’s OPS was an outstanding .962, showcasing his power against some of college baseball’s top arms.

Now the journey to getting the big league call-up begins for Ahuna. San Francisco is putting a ton of faith in him, hoping the Tennessee product is able to help them in the future.

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.