Seattle Mariners pick Wichita State baseball standout Brock Rodden in 2023 MLB Draft
Brock Rodden turned down a six-figure contract to become a professional baseball player to return to Wichita State for one more season.
The decision to bet on himself paid off, as Rodden moved up significantly in this year’s draft when he was selected in the fifth round with No. 160 overall pick by the Seattle Mariners on Monday. He was picked in the 10th round by the Oakland Athletics in last year’s draft.
Rodden likely almost doubled his guaranteed money, as the slot value assigned to the fifth-round pick is approximately $374,400.
If there was any question if his 2022 season with the Shockers was a fluke, the power-hitting second baseman dispelled that notion with an even more impressive senior season in 2023: hitting .371 with 17 home runs and 64 RBIs to earn American Athletic Conference Player of the Year and third team All-America honors.
He is the highest drafted Shocker since Alec Bohm (No. 2 overall) and Greyson Jenista (No. 49 overall) in 2018. The WSU program has had a player selected in 43 of the last 44 MLB Drafts with the lone exception coming in 2020 when the draft was shortened to just five rounds.
The Oktaha, Okla. native projects as a middle infielder in the Mariners’ farm system with his bat making him an intriguing prospect. In the final three weeks of the season, Rodden hit .556 (20 for 36) with four doubles and four home runs.
Rodden was the only WSU player drafted in the first 10 rounds. A handful of former Shockers and incoming freshmen figured to be targets in the final 10 rounds of the draft Tuesday.
.jpg)