Longhorns Country

Several Longhorns Ink Major League Deals

A look at the contract details for the Longhorns taken in the MLB Draft.

Connor Zimmerlee

While the Texas Longhorns were unable to win it all in Omaha, exiting following a brief 0-2 stay, 2022 was a successful season for the program.

Following their successful season the Longhorns saw a majority of their offensive contributors, as well as key pitching arms, taken in the MLB Draft.

Headlining the Longhorns draft class was the Golden Spikes Winner Ivan Melendez, whose historic season as the plate saw him taken in the second round by the Arizona Diamondbacks at pick No. 43. 

After finishing 2022 slashing a staggering .387/.508/.863 and an NCAA BBCOR era record 32 home runs, Melendez agreed to a deal with the Diamondbacks on Sunday. His signing bonus came in at $1.4 million, while the 43rd pick has a slot value of $1,818,500, giving Melendez a slightly under slot value. 

Following Melendez in the draft for the Longhorns was staff ace Pete Hansen, who saw himself drafted in the third round by the St. Louis Cardinals with their No. 97 overall pick. 

Hansen was undoubtedly the guy for a shaky Longhorns' pitching staff, consistently going to the mound on Friday nights and shutting down opposing lineups. His dominant season on the mound saw the Cardinals sign him to a $629,800 signing bonus, the full amount for the No. 97 overall pick. 

The Baltimore Orioles would take a pair of Longhorns next, snagging catcher Silas Ardoin off the board in the fourth round with pick No. 107, followed by center fielder Doug Hodo in the sixth round at pick No. 167. 

Ardoin was a rock for the Longhorns behind the plate, flexing a cannon of an arm that saw him throw out 22 of 33 would be base runners. He was also a key contributor at the plate as well, finishing the season slashing .271/.391/.513 while launching 12 home runs and driving in 50 runs. 

Hodo anchored the outfield for the Longhorns in center field, using his speed to make an array of jaw-dropping catches, only accounting for two errors in 146 attempts. At the plate Hodo had the fourth highest average on the team, hitting .319 with 11 home runs and 59 RBIs, often coming from his spot atop the lineup. 

Ardoin has yet to agree to a deal with the Orioles for a signing bonus amount, while the slot value for the No. 107 overall pick is $571.40k. Hodo has agreed to a contract, and while the details are unknown currently, the slot value for the No. 167 overall pick is $319.80k. 

After Ardoin and Hodo went off the board to the Orioles in the fourth and sixth rounds, Longhorns' shortstop Trey Faltine went in the seventh round to the Cincinnati Reds with pick No. 213. 

Faltine flashed an elite glove and arm strength at the shortstop position, with a range to get to balls with ease and make difficult plays. Offensively, while he was prone to strikeout, when he was on he was hard to get out. He finished the season with a .282 average while launching 15 home runs and racking up 56 RBIs. 

On Saturday Faltine would ink his deal with the Reds, signing for $200,000, coming in at $19,000 under the $219,000 slot value that pick No. 213 overall carries.

Protecting Melendez in the Longhorns' lineup all season long was breakout right fielder Murphy Stehly, who turned that breakout season into the Washington Nationals taking him in the 10th round with their No. 291 overall pick. 

Entering the season likely to see limited playing time as a utility player, when Austin Todd went down with an injury Stehly seized the starting right field spot and didn't look back. After spending most of the season with an average above .400, Stehly would finish hitting .367 with 19 home runs and 61 RBIs, both good for second behind Melendez. 

Stehly would sign for well below slot value, agreeing to a $10,000 signing bonus while the No. 291 overall pick carries a slot value of $154,800. 

The last Longhorn taken in the draft was third baseman Skyler Messinger, drafted by the Colorado Rockies in the 19th round with their No. 566 overall pick. 

Messinger was a defensive stalwart at the hot corner for the Longhorns, flashing elite glovework that saw him commit only five errors all season. At the plate Messinger became one of the most crucial bats in the Texas lineup, finishing with an impressive .364 average to go with 11 home runs and 59 RBIs. 

While there are no available numbers for the slot value of the No. 566 overall pick, once Messinger signs with the Rockies he will have the chance to play for his childhood team. 

You can find Connor Zimmerlee on Twitter @Connorjz98

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Connor Zimmerlee
CONNOR ZIMMERLEE

Connor Zimmerlee is a writer and reporter for the FanNation network. Zimmerlee received his Bachelor's of Journalism from the University of Texas at Austin and graduated from Northwestern's Medill School of Journalism with a Master's of Science in Journalism with a Specialization in Sports Media. 

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