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Jared Dickey selected by Kansas City Royals in MLB Draft

On3 imageby:Eric Cain•07/11/23•

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Jared Dickey Tennessee Baseball
Jared Dickey. Photo By Ian Cox/Tennessee Athletics

Following a disappointing day two of the Major League baseball Draft for Tennessee OF/C Jared Dickey, the Kansas City Royals took him early in day three with the 319th overall pick in the 11th round.

Dickey was not drafted in the first 10 rounds of the Major League Baseball Draft on Sunday and Monday, despite coming into the event ranked No. 115 by MLB Pipeline. According to Jim Callis at MLB.com, the 115th overall pick was slotted at $580,200. Of course, the Boston Red Sox selected Matt Duffy with the pick on Monday.

Teams who save the first two days of the draft can often over-spend in day three to get the prospect they want. The Royals made it a point to grab Dickey early in day three with the fifth pick of the day.

Following an injury-plagued redshirt-freshman season in 2022, Dickey finally found consistent playing time in 2023 and was Tennessee’s lone All-SEC player. The left-handed hitter led the Vols with a .328 batting average and has some versatility to his game, playing the corner outfield spots or behind the plate. Defensively, it will be a work in progress as he’ll need repetitions to refine his game. His bat, however, is what put him on team’s radars and that will carry him through the minor leagues.

The slugger joins teammate Chase Dollander, Maui Ahuna, Andrew Lindsey and Seth Halvorsen as Vols drafted thus far into the 2023 MLB Draft.

Vols in the 2023 MLB Draft

RHP Chase Dollander – Rockies – Round 1, 9th overall
3B Carson Rucker (commit) – Tigers – Round 4, 107th overall
SS Maui Ahuna – Giants – Round 4, 117th overall
RHP Andrew Lindsey – Marlins- Round 5, 146th overall pick
RHP Seth Halvorsen – Rockies – Round 7, 202nd overall pick
OF/C Jared Dickey – Royals – Round 11, 319th overall pick

MLB Draft Vols in the Tony Vitello Era

Entering this year’s draft, there had been 28 players drafted by Major League Baseball organizations during the Tony Vitello tenure, one that started in the spring of 2018. Tennessee had a program-record 10 players drafted in 2022 with two first rounders, Drew Gilbert (Astros, pick 28) and Jordan Beck (Rockies, pick 38 in Competitive Balance Round A). Two Tennessee players who have been drafted under Vitello are currently in the Major Leagues – Ben Joyce (2022), Garrett Crochet (2020).

Overall, the Volunteers have boasted 183 draft picks all-time with 55 players reaching the show. Prior to Chase Dollander (2023), the Vols had sported 20 total first round selections.

Vitello is coming off his second College World Series appearance in the past three seasons as head coach of the Volunteers. Tennessee broke a 22-year Omaha winless streak with its 6-4 victory over Stanford on June 19, a win that snapped a six-game losing streak on the stage. The Vols capped the 2022 campaign with a 44-22 record and Tennessee is the only team in college baseball to average 50 wins over the past three seasons.

Here’s a list of players who have been drafted after being coached by Tony Vitello at Tennessee (entering the 2023 draft).

2022 – Drew Gilbert – Round 1, Astros
2022 – Jordan Beck – Round 1, Rockies
2022 – Blade Tidwell – Round 2, Mets
2022 – Trey Lipscomb – Round 3, Nationals      
2022 – Ben Joyce – Round 3, Angels
2022 – Will Mabrey – Round 6, Diamondbacks
2022 – Jorel Ortega – Round 6, Twins
2022 – Seth Stephenson – Round 7, Tigers
2022 – Mark McLaughlin – Round 7, White Sox
2022 – Cortland Lawson – Round 14, Nationals
2021 – Chad Dallas – Round 4, Blue Jays
2021 – Liam Spence – Round 5, Cubs
2021 – Max Ferguson – Round 5, Padres
2021 – Connor Pavolony – Round 7, Orioles
2021 – Jake Rucker – Round 7, Twins
2021 – Jackson Leath – Round 12, Rangers
2021 – Sean Hunley – Round 19, Rays
2020 – Garrett Crochet – Round 1, White Sox
2020 – Alerick Soularie – Round 2, Twins
2020 – Zach Daniels – Round 4, Astros
2019 – Andre Lipcius – Round 3, Tigers
2019 – Garrett Stallings – Round 5, Angels
2019 – Andrew Schultz – Round 6, Phillies
2019 – Zach Linginfelter – Round 9, Angels
2019 – Ricky Martinez – Round 18, Diamondbacks
2019 – Jay Charleston – Round 26, Royals
2018 – Zach Linginfelter – Round 19, Nationals
2018 – Benito Santiago – Round 34, Cardinals

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