UCLA Bruins pitcher Ethan Flanagan selected by Cubs in 2023 MLB Draft

One of the key pitchers from the 2023 UCLA Bruins baseball team has found a new home at the next level. The Bruins left-handed pitcher Ethan Flanagan has just heard his name called in the 2023 MLB Draft, as the National League’s team from the Windy City, the Chicago Cubs, selected him with the No. 506 overall pick.

Flanagan, a southern California native of Rancho Santa Margarita, CA, spent two years in Los Angeles with the Bruins. At UCLA, he was primarily used out of the bullpen. During his two years at UCLA, Flanagan recorded a record of 5-1 with an era of 3.91. He also had 13 starts in 34 appearances over 92.0 innings of work. If this is indeed Flanigan’s final season with the Bruins, the young left-handed pitcher leaves with a solid stat line that includes 107 strikeouts to just nine home runs and four wild pitches.

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.