FINAL LOOK: Sending off Ole Miss’ Kemp Alderman, the country kid with light-tower power
The final rounds of the 2023 MLB Draft open Tuesday afternoon.
But whatever happens the rest of the way (rounds 11-20), Ole Miss has been well-represented over the three-day draft weekend. Four current Rebels have been taken so far, including a pair of Top 50 selections in shortstop Jacob Gonzalez and slugging outfielder/catcher/first baseman/occasional pitcher Kemp Alderman.
The Miami Marlins made Alderman — the country kid with light-tower power — their second-round selection at No. 47 overall.
Alderman and Gonzalez became just the second pair of Ole Miss teammates picked in the first two rounds since 2008. They’re the highest-drafted Rebel position players since Chris Coghlan in 2006 (Marlins, No. 36 overall).
Alderman last season was an All-American — the last act of his three-year Ole Miss career.
He also won the Ferriss Trophy, which is handed out annually to the most outstanding college baseball player in the state of Mississippi. He was the first Rebel to win the award since Austin Bausfield in 2014.
Alderman led Ole Miss in nearly every offensive category. He hit .376 — the highest single-season average since Alex Yarbrough (.380) in 2012 — and slugged .709. with an on-base of .440. He blasted 19 home runs — the third-most in a single season in Ole Miss history.
Alderman finished fourth in the SEC in hits (80) and total bases (151). He was seventh in batting average and RBI (61). He led the Rebels in two-out RBI (23) and batting average with runners on base (.393).
“I’ve always been an Ole Miss fan my whole life,” Alderman was once quoted as saying. “This is what I dreamed of.”
Let’s take one final look back at his time as a Rebel, in highlights provided by Ole Miss Sports Production.
