Angels Sign Sixth-Round Draft Pick to Under-Slot Deal

Maren Angus-Coombs | Jul 19, 2024

Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports

Peyton Olejnik was selected in the sixth round of the 2024 Major League Baseball Draft by the Los Angeles Angels and faced a tough decision as a junior at the University of Miami (Ohio).

The 172nd overall pick made his decision on Thursday when he signed with the Angels for $197,500. He will not return for his senior season.

Before being drafted by the @Angels in the sixth round of the #MLBDraft, Peyton Olejnik (@OlejnikPeyton) excelled in two @MLBDraftLeague seasons.

The 6-foot-11 righty was especially dominant as a starter for the @mvscrappers this summer, posting a 64.5 Z-Contact%, a 41.6 Whiff%… pic.twitter.com/VG4B7GDXtW

— 643 Charts (@643charts) July 18, 2024

Baseball America's Carlo Collazo was the first to report Olejnik's signing. The slot value for a draftee in the sixth round is usually around $366,100.

“It’s kind of a dreams-to-reality moment,” he told the Chicago Tribune on Tuesday. “I’ve been dreaming of this ever since I was a little kid. I’m kind of at a loss for words, honestly. I’m still taking it all in because it doesn’t feel real.”

Peyton Olejnik@MiamiOHBaseball | @mvscrappers

Giant righty listed at 6'11-210! Made his draft league debut yesterday. 2.0 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 1 BB, 3 K. VERY uncomfortable AB. Gets huge extension in delivery allowing stuff to play up. 1 batter look here w/ slo-mo

FB: 92-94
SL: 81-84 pic.twitter.com/M7Wp2kSvVP

— Brian Recca (@brian_recca) June 17, 2024

The right-hander emerged as one of the best arms for the RedHawks this season, going 9-1 with a 4.76 ERA in 19 appearances. He led the team with 64.1 innings pitched and 84 strikeouts, and limited opposing hitters to a .244 batting average while walking 27.

Olejnik landed at Miami after a year with Oklahoma and another at Triton College. He only pitched 3.2 innings in five appearances with the Sooners.

My time at the @mlbdraftleague has come to an end. Thank you @JGyorko05 and @WVBlackBears for the great opportunity.

6’10 190 lbs
90-93 FB 2678.8 RPM
79-82 SL 2800 RPM
70-72 CB 2800-2900 RPM
82-84 CH 2300 RPM@jt_thomas36 @PBR_JUCO @FlatgroundApp @RolTroj @TopTierBaseball pic.twitter.com/CQb6OlwBfZ

— Peyton Olejnik (@OlejnikPeyton) June 23, 2022

In the end, it was the RedHawks who got him the MLB recognition.

“The end goal was always for me to play in the pros,” he said. “Getting drafted is one thing, but playing professional baseball is another. Obviously, one step leads to the other, and this is the first step for me.”