UVA Baseball: Ethan O'Donnell and Jonny Farmelo Sign Deals With MLB Teams

Virginia center field Ethan O'Donnell and former UVA commit Jonny Farmelo agreed to terms with their respective MLB teams

Virginia center fielder Ethan O'Donnell agreed to terms on a deal with the Cincinnati Reds on Monday, officially becoming a professional baseball player. O'Donnell signed for $307,500, a little below the slot value of his selection ($348,400) as the No. 168 overall pick in the sixth round of the 2023 MLB Draft. 

With O'Donnell signing with the Reds, his collegiate baseball career has formally come to a close. In his lone season at Virginia after transferring from Northwestern, O'Donnell left a lasting mark on the program, earning a First-Team All-ACC selection as he batted .354 with 90 hits, 57 RBI, 13 home runs, 71 runs scored, and 18 doubles. O'Donnell also became the second Cavalier in program history to be a recipient of a Rawlings Division I Gold Glove Award after a stellar season in the field, committing just one error in 65 games. Now, O'Donnell turns the page to his professional career, which will begin with the Reds along with another former Wahoo Andrew Abbott, who is having a phenomenal rookie campaign on the mound this summer. 

To replace O'Donnell's production in center field, Virginia secured a transfer commitment from Indiana outfielder Bobby Whalen. Read more on what Whalen brings to the Cavaliers here.

Also on Monday, former UVA baseball commit Jonny Farmelo, who was Virginia's top recruit in the class of 2023, signed a deal with the Seattle Mariners. Farmelo, who was selected with the No. 29 overall pick in the first round of the 2023 MLB Draft, signed for well above his slot value. The MLB assigned a value of $2,800,700 to the No. 29 overall pick and Farmelo ended up receiving a signing bonus of $3,200,000 from the Mariners. It's unfortunate that such a talented player never got to suit up for the Cavaliers, but for that amount of guaranteed money and the opportunity to purse a professional baseball career right away, Farmelo is making the right decision. 

Virginia had three other players selected in the MLB Draft, but those players have not yet agreed to terms with their respective teams. Kyle Teel, who was the No. 14 overall pick in the first round to the Boston Red Sox, has a slot value of $4,663,100. No. 60 overall pick Jake Gelof has yet to sign with the Los Angeles Dodgers and his pick value is $1,336,900. Finally, Connelly Early has a slot value of $408,500 as the No. 151 overall pick in the fifth round by the Boston Red Sox. 

Each MLB team has until 5pm Eastern on Tuesday, July 25th to agree to terms with its draft selections. 

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