UVA Baseball Commit Jonny Farmelo Selected by Seattle Mariners in MLB Draft

A star center fielder and Virginia native who has been committed to UVA since 2020, Farmelo was selected with the No. 29 overall pick

Jonny Farmelo/IG

Jonny Farmelo, Virginia's top baseball commit in the recruiting class of 2023, was selected by the Seattle Mariners with the No. 29 overall pick in the 2023 MLB Draft on Sunday night. 

With the 29th pick, the @Mariners select Westfield (VA) outfielder Jonny Farmelo, No. 39 on the Top 250 Draft Prospects list.

Watch live: https://t.co/1s1j9XMnG5 pic.twitter.com/4gWmwTHgQz

— MLB Draft (@MLBDraft) July 10, 2023

A star center fielder who just wrapped up his career at Westfield High School in Fairfax County, Virginia, Farmelo has been committed to play baseball at the University of Virginia since July 2020. At 6'2", 205 pounds, Farmelo has the size, athleticism, and speed to play the outfield in the major leagues and, of course, swung the bat at a high level throughout his high school career. That talent and upside led the Seattle Mariners to select Farmelo with the No. 29 overall pick, which was a "prospect promotional incentive" pick they received as a result of Mariners outfielder Julio Rodriguez winning the American League Rookie of the Year Award in 2022. 

Now, Farmelo has (somewhat of) a decision to make between signing with the Mariners to go pro right out of high school and declining that offer to attend Virginia to play college baseball. According to the slot values distributed from the MLB to each franchise, the No. 29 overall pick is valued at $2,800,700, an estimate for the figure Farmelo may be expected to receive upon his potential signing with the Seattle Mariners. The actual bonus Farmelo receives won't be that exact figure, but the Mariners will likely offer him north of $2 million as a signing bonus, which will be extremely difficult for Farmelo to turn down. 

With Jonny Farmelo hearing his name called in the first round of the MLB Draft and in line to get a significant amount of guaranteed money, the Virginia baseball program will likely lose its top recruit in the class of 2023. 

Virginia catcher Kyle Teel was selected by the Boston Red Sox with the No. 14 overall pick of the 2023 MLB Draft. 

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