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Jake Gelof Selected No. 60 Overall by Los Angeles Dodgers in 2023 MLB Draft

UVA's home run king heard his name called in the second round of the MLB Draft on Sunday night

Matt Newton

Matt Riley/Virginia Athletics

Virginia third baseman and home run king Jake Gelof was selected by the Los Angeles Dodgers with the No. 60 overall pick in the second round of the 2023 MLB Draft. Gelof was the second Cavalier to hear his name called on Sunday night, joining UVA catcher Kyle Teel, who was picked No. 14 overall by the Boston Red Sox. 

In just three seasons, Jake Gelof left a lasting mark on the Virginia baseball program, using his powerful swing to lead the Cavaliers to their fifth and sixth appearances in the College World Series. Gelof crushed the school record for career home runs with 48 - 11 more than the previous mark - and broke Brian Buchanan's single-season home run record with 23 long balls this season. He also shattered his own single-season RBI record with 90 runs driven in this season and finished with a program-record 186 career RBI. Gelof played in 161 games in his collegiate career and totaled 159 runs, 189 hits, 48 home runs, 186 RBI, and posted a career .329 batting average. At the end of the 2023 season, Gelof was named an All-ACC First Team selection, a NCBWA Second-Team All-American, a Collegiate Baseball Newspaper Second-Team All-American, and a Perfect Game Third-Team All-American. 

According to the slot values distributed from the MLB to each franchise, the No. 60 overall pick is valued at $1,336,900, an estimate for the figure Gelof may be expected to receive upon his signing with the Dodgers. Gelof joins another former Wahoo in Chris Taylor on the Los Angeles Dodgers as well as two former UVA teammates - Brandon Neeck and Chris Newell - who are currently in the Dodgers' minor league system. 

And in a fun piece of trivia, Jake Gelof was selected with the exact same pick in the draft as his older brother Zack Gelof, another former Cavalier who is currently playing for the Las Vegas Aviators, the Triple-A affiliate of the Oakland Athletics. Zack Gelof was selected with the No. 60 overall pick in the second round of the 2021 MLB Draft and two years later, Jake Gelof was picked No. 60 overall in the 2023 MLB Draft. 

Including Kyle Teel and Jake Gelof, the Virginia baseball program has produced 145 all-time MLB Draft selections, 96 of which have come during the Brian O'Connor era. 

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Matt Newton
MATT NEWTON

Matt launched Virginia Cavaliers On SI in August of 2021 and has since served as the site's publisher and managing editor, covering all 23 NCAA Division I sports teams at the University of Virginia. He is from Downingtown, Pennsylvania and graduated from UVA in May of 2021.

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