Louisville catcher Jack Payton selected by San Francisco Giants in 2023 MLB Draft

The Louisville Cardinals baseball program had some serious talent in their clubhouse this season. And one of those talented players is now off to the pros. Cardinals’ catcher Jack Payton has just heard his name called in the 2023 MLB Amateur Draft. The San Francisco Giants selected him with the No. 330 overall pick.

Last season Payton played in 48 games for the Cardinals, mainly as a catcher. He ended the year leading Louisville in nearly all major batting categories. Payton was the team leader in batting average with a. 374, had 67 hits, 43 runs, 12 home runs, and 115 total bases. He also had his best OPS percentage of his collegiate career for Louisville in 2023, 1.115.

What experts are saying about Payton

MLB.com has Payton ranked as the 148 prospect ahead of the 2023 MLB Draft. According to their scouting report, the Cardinals’ catcher has all the intangibles of a clubhouse leader, but has some work to do on the defensive end.

“Louisville’s leading hitter in each of the last two seasons, Payton focuses on making hard contact to all fields with a controlled right-handed swing. He lets his power come naturally and is driving the ball better than ever this spring, displaying average power that plays to all fields. He manages the strike zone well and waits for pitches he can punish. 

“Payton has the work ethic and leadership skills that teams want in a catcher, but scouts aren’t completely sold on his receiving and worry about his arm. He has fringy arm strength and questionable accuracy, though he did improve his caught-stealing rate from 14 percent as a sophomore to 32 percent during the 2023 regular season. He moves well, flashing solid run times from home to first, and in pro ball could wind up as a left fielder who catches on occasion,” per the team at MLB.com.

More on the 2023 MLB Draft

The 2023 Major League Baseball Draft will begin during All-Star week, with the first two rounds getting underway at 7 p.m. ET on Sunday, July 9. Rounds 3-10 will then begin at 2 p.m. ET on Monday, July 10, with rounds 11-20 starting at 2 p.m. ET on Tuesday, July 11.

This year’s MLB Draft is a historic one, as a draft lottery was used to determine the order for the first time. The Washington Nationals, Pittsburgh Pirates and Oakland Athletics each had a 16.5% chance to receive the No. 1 overall pick. Ultimately, Pittsburgh won the right to have the first selection, with Washington finishing right behind them at No. 2. Oakland, however, fell all the way down to No. 6 overall.

While the MLB Draft is always unpredictable, the consensus is that this year’s top prospects both hail from LSU, who won the 2023 College World Series. Pitcher Paul Skenes and outfielder Dylan Crews headline this year’s class, which is considered a deep one.

Within the first ten rounds of the draft, each slot is assigned a certain value. Each team has a bonus pool that they are able to spend on these picks, and players will sign at, above or below their assigned slot value.

In rounds 11-20, there is no assigned slot value and MLB teams are free to spend up to $150,000 to sign their picks from the second half of the draft. If they exceed the $150,000 mark, that added amount will be deducted from their bonus pool.

Following the final day of the 2023 MLB Draft, selected players will have until August 1 to sign a contract.