A fast and furious run on Ole Miss players in the MLB draft Monday seemed only fitting after the Rebels’ run to the 2022 Men’s College World Series title last month.
Sunday saw Ole Miss signees Jackson Ferris (47th overall) and Roman Anthony (79th overall) come off the board, but Ole Miss didn’t have a single player drafted until the sixth round.
By the time Round 10 wrapped up Day 2 action in Los Angeles, though, five Rebels had heard their names called. CWS Most Outstanding Player Dylan DeLucia and team captain Tim Elko were among them.
But it was right-hander Derek Diamond who went off the board first, taken by the Pittsburgh Pirates with Pick No. 170 in the sixth round. The junior from Ramona, California, didn’t live up to his potential in 2022, posting an ERA of 6.89 and a WHIP of 1.44 in 65 1/3 innings with 57 strikeouts, but the Pirates saw something in him.
The No. 170 pick has a slot value of $311,400.
Catcher Hayden Dunhurst went just five picks later, snagged at No. 175 by the Kansas City Royals.
The skilled defensive backstop hit .231 with six home runs and 30 RBIs in 2022. Dunhurst, a junior from Carriere, has two years of eligibility remaining.
A slot bonus of $298,600 is associated with the 175th pick.
Just six picks after Dunhurst came off the board, the Cleveland Guardians made DeLucia the third Rebel off the board in barely 10 minutes.
DeLucia was taken with Pick No. 181, which carries a $284,000 slot value, after he went on a stellar late-season run for Ole Miss. DeLucia finished the year with a 3.68 ERA, a 1.19 WHIP and 105 strikeouts in 95 1/3 innings.
The junior from Port Orange, Florida, was a transfer from Northwest Florida State.
Reliever Brandon Johnson, who closed out the Rebels’ CWS championship victory against Oklahoma, went in the ninth round to the same Royals who drafted Dunhurst.
Johnson had a 4.32 ERA and 71 strikeouts in 41 2/3 innings for the Rebels. The Cottonwood, Alabama, native, was in his second year at Ole Miss since coming over from Columbia State Community College in Tennessee.
The Royals chose Johnson with Pick No. 265, which carries a slot value of $163,700.
Last but hardly least was Elko, who was Ole Miss’ leader throughout the year and whose hot streak in the Coral Gables Regional helped the Rebels win their first national title.
The senior first baseman went No. 311 overall to the Chicago White Sox in Round 10, a pick carrying a slot value of $149,500.
Elko hit .300 with 24 home runs and 75 RBIs for Ole Miss in 2022. He tore his ACL on April 5, 2021, but returned to action later in the season while playing on the torn ligament.
Three Ole Miss signees who could have heard their names called Monday remain waiting, a good sign for the Rebels. Right-handers Grayson Saunier and JT Quinn as well as infielder James Smith are among Ole Miss’ top commits.
Day 3 wraps up draft action with Rounds 11-20, beginning at 1 p.m.
Theo DeRosa reports on Mississippi State sports for The Dispatch. Follow him on Twitter at @Theo_DeRosa.
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