Aggies Shortstop Hunter Haas Selected By Tampa Bay Rays In Fourth Round
It only took 120 picks, but Texas A&M baseball finally saw a player come off the board in the 2023 MLB Draft.
Shortstop Hunter Haas was selected by the Tampa Bay Rays in the fourth round Monday afternoon. His slot value will be worth $552,500 if he elects to sign with the AL East franchise instead of returning to College Station for his senior season.
A transfer from Arizona State, Haas was one of the Aggies' top players this past spring. The junior posted a .323/.447/.506 slash line and led the Aggies in walks (49) and runs scored (61) from the leadoff spot. Haas also blasted 10 home runs and finished with 46 RBIs.
Defensively, the Rays will have to decide if Haas can remain up the middle or if shift him elsewhere could benefit both parties. Under Jim Schlossnagle, the 6-foot right-hander was exceptional with the glove, posting a .974 field percentage while committing just six errors in 64 starts.
Haas becomes the first Aggie middle infielder drafted since the Atlanta Braves selected Braden Shewmake in the first round in 2019. He also was an essential part of helping A&M garner a No. 2-seed in the Stanford Regional after a compelling performance in the SEC Tournament back in May.
Haas' departure was on the radar for the Aggies entering the summer. Schlossnagle, who enters his third season with the program, made sure to bring in proven talent by picking up the commitment of Cal State Northridge infielder Ali Camarillo Jr. in June.
Several other A&M players, including right-hander Nathan Dettmer, third baseman Trevor Werner and first baseman Jack Moss, could join Haas in the pros if selected during the three-day draft period from Seattle. The first two rounds of the draft began Sunday night, while Monday will feature rounds 3-10. Day three (Tuesday) will conclude this year's draft with rounds 11-20.
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