Vanderbilt OF RJ Schreck selected by Seattle Mariners in 2023 MLB Draft

Vanderbilt outfielder RJ Schreck was selected in the ninth round (No. 227 overall) by the Seattle Mariners in the 2023 MLB Draft.

Schreck began his career with Duke, playing for the Blue Devils from 2019-2022 before transferring to the Commodores’ as a graduate.

During his lone season in Nashville, Schreck’s most memorable performances include a three-run homer in a 12-2 win over then-No. 3 Ole Miss, had a three-hit day and finished a triple shy of the cycle, vs. Tennessee Tech, hit a walk-off sac fly in a win against No. 18 Maryland and hit his first two home runs as a Commodore in consecutive at-bats vs. Nebraska. All of which came in a two-week span.

He finished the season batting .306 while hitting 14 home runs and 59 RBIs, including 31 extra base hits on 66 total and scoring 53 runs. He was walked 48 times and had 127 total bases to his credit.

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.