Colorado Rockies Conclude 2023 First-year Player Draft With 10 Selections on Day Three

July 11th, 2023

SCOTTSDALE – On the third and final day of Major League Baseball’s 2023 First-Year Player Draft, the Colorado Rockies selected 10 total players, seven pitchers and three position players, with nine of 10 overall coming from the collegiate ranks.

Overall, the Rockies selected 21 players, including 14 pitchers and seven position players. All but one were selected out of college.

Below is a pick-by-pick breakdown of the Rockies’ Tuesday selections:

With their first pick of Day Three, the Rockies selected RHP Stu Flesland III, 22, out of the University of Washington in the 11th round … the 6­-5 Colbert, Wash. native pitched to a 7-2 record with a 4.12 ERA (89.2 IP, 41 ER), 27 walks and 81 strikeouts through 16 starts for the Huskies in 2023 … ranked second in the Pac-12 in both starts and innings pitched, while his ERA was the sixth-lowest in the league … earned 2023 All-Pac-12 Honors … through four collegiate seasons at Washington (2021-23) and Boise State (2020), posted an 11-8 record with a 4.07 ERA (179.1 IP, 81 ER) in 77 games (24 starts) … recorded a 0.­19 ERA and was First-Team All-GSL and Second-Team All-State for Mt. Spokane High School (Wash.) in 2019.

In the 12th round, the Rockies selected LHP Bryson Hammer out of Dallas Baptist University … in one season for the Patriots in 2023, was 5-4 with a 5.16 ERA (45.1 IP, 26 ER) and 48 strikeouts in 14 games (eight starts) … in 2022, earned All-Conference honors at Catawba College after going 6-3 with a 3.82 ERA through 15 appearances (13 starts), while fanning 116, the second-most in the region … prior, was a redshirt freshman at Clemson in 2021 … was a two-time First-Team All-State selection at Alexander Central High School (N.C.) … rated the No. 6 left-hander and the No. 20 overall prospect in the state of North Carolina by Perfect Game.

OF Caleb Hobson was selected with the Rockies’ 13th-round pick out of the University of Tennessee-Martin … a native of Pontotoc, Miss., the 21-year-old posted a .318/.429/.500 slashline in 2023 for the Skyhawks, driving in 39 while swiping a league-leading 36 bases … prior to UT-Martin, spent two seasons at Northwest Mississippi Community College, earning a pair of All-Mississippi Association of Community Colleges Conference accolades … ranked in the top-10 in the school record books in single-season stolen bases (33, 3rd) and runs scored (55, 9th) … is the ninth UT Martin player all-time to be selected in the MLB First-Year Player Draft.

In the 14th round, the Rockies selected RHP Hunter Mann from Tennessee Technological University in Cookeville, Tenn. … in 2023, the 21-year-old struck out 91 through 70.0 innings in 18 games (13 starts) for the Golden Eagles … ranked third in the Ohio Valley Conference with an 11.7 SO/9 (min. 30.0 IP) … spent his 2021-22 seasons at Columbia State Community College … hit .412 while pitching to a 9-0 record and a 0.52 ERA in his senior season at Gordonsville High School in Gordonsville, Tenn.

C Darius Perry was selected out of UCLA with the Rockies’ 15th-round pick, joining teammate Kyle Karros (selected in the fifth round) as Rockies’ 2023 selections … Perry, 22, was originally selected by the Rockies in the 38th round of the 2019 First-Year Player Draft but did not sign … for the Bruins in 2023, slashed .278/.386/.358 with 31 RBI as the team’s starting catcher … earned All-Pac-12 All-Conference Team honors in 2022 and 2023 … 2023 Pac-12 All-Defensive Team selection as he threw out 42% (19/45) of attempted basestealers, the only Pac-12 catcher to finish the season above the 40% mark …  the Fullerton, Calif. native was rated as the No. 1 catcher in California and the No. 3 catcher in the nation coming out of La Mirada High School (Calif.).

Coming out of East Tennessee State University, the Rockies selected LHP Austin Emener in the 16th round … in 15 games (eight starts) for the Buccaneers in 2023, went 2-4 with a 5.40 ERA (53.1 IP, 32 ER), one save and 62 strikeouts … played three collegiate seasons for North Alabama (2021-22) and East Tennessee (2023), striking out 148 through 130.0 innings … attended First Presbyterian Day School in Macon, Ga. where he set a school record with 18 strikeouts in a single game.

1B Aidan Longwell, 21, goes to the Rockies with their 17th-round selection … the Massillon, Ohio native was named First-Team All-MAC and Third-Team All-American after slashing .409/.482/.657 with 23 doubles, two triples, 10 home runs and 75 RBI for the Golden Flashes in 2023 … his batting average was the highest for a Kent State player since 2001 … led the conference in RBI … also posted a 1.45 ERA in 19.0 innings on the mound … in three seasons at Kent State (2021-23), slashed .346/.424/.551 with 112 RBI through 133 games while going 4-2 with a 3.72 ERA (48.1 IP, 20 ER) in 30 games (four starts) as a pitcher.

In the 18th round, the Rockies selected RHP Yanzel Correra out of the International Baseball Academy High School … the 18-year-old is a native of Caguas, Puerto Rico and checks in at 6-feet-4 inches … ranked by Perfect Game as the No. 8 right-handed pitching prospect in Puerto Rico … he is the first Rockies’ pick out of the high school ranks from this draft.

Colorado Mesa LHP Kannon Handy was selected with the Rockies’ 19th round pick … a graduate of Jordan High School (Utah), the lefty finished the 2023 season with the Mavericks 6-2 with a 5.57 ERA (64.2 IP, 40 ER) and 88 strikeouts … through four collegiate seasons, went 21-4 with a 4.63 ERA (213.2 IP, 110 ER) through 46 games (38 starts) … was an All-RMAC First Team selection in 2022 and was named the RMAC Co-Freshman Pitcher of the Year in 2021.

With their final pick in the 2023 First-Year Player Draft, the Rockies selected 20-year-old RHP Troy Butler from Herkimer County Community College in Herkimer, N.Y. … posted 6-2 record and a 4.84 ERA (44.12 IP, 24 ER) in 11 appearances (one start) at Herkimer, walking 31 and striking out 81 for a 16.32 K/9 … played three seasons with Mohawk Valley in the Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League, totaling a 6-4 record with a 3.08 ERA (64.1 IP, 22 ER) and 90 strikeouts … a native of Binghamton, N.Y.

Below is a breakdown of all the Rockies’ selections in the 2023 MLB First-Year Player Draft:

Rd.    Pick    First Last    Pos.    B/T    HT    WT    School    Hometown
1    9    Chase Dollander    RHP    R/R    6-2    200    Tennessee    Evans, Georgia
2    46    Sean Sullivan    LHP    R/L    6-4    190    Wake Forest    Andover, Mass. 
CB-B    65    Cole Carrigg    C    S/R    6-3    200    San Diego State    Turlock, Calif. 
3    77    Jack Mahoney    RHP    R/R    6-3    210    South Carolina    Arlington Heights, Ill.
4    109    Isaiah Coupet    LHP    L/L    6-1    190    Ohio State    Flossmoor, Ill. 
5    145    Kyle Karros    3B    R/R    6-5    220    UCLA    Manhattan Beach, Calif.
6    172    Cade Denton    RHP    R/R    6-3    180    Oral Roberts    Rowlett, Texas
7    202    Seth Halvorsen    RHP    R/R    6-2    225    Tennessee    Maple Grove, Minn.
8    232    Braylen Wimmer    SS    R/R    6-4    200    South Carolina    Yukon, Okla. 
9    262    Ben McCabe    C    R/R    6-0    185    Central Florida    Sarasota, Fla. 
10    292    Jace Kaminska    RHP    R/R    6-2    235    Nebraska    Caney, Kan.
11    322    Stu Flesland III    LHP    R/L    6-5    207    Washington    Colbert, Wash. 
12    352    Bryson Hammer    LHP    L/L    6-1    186    Dallas Baptist    Stony Point, N.C.
13    382    Caleb Hobson    OF    R/R    6-1    193    Tennessee-Martin    Pontotoc, Miss. 
14    412    Hunter Mann    RHP    R/R    6-7    225    Tennessee Tech    Brush Creek, Tenn. 
15    442    Darius Perry    C    R/R    6-2    210    UCLA    Fullerton, Calif.
16    472    Austin Emener    LHP    L/L    6-4    210    East Tennessee State    Macon, Ga.
17    502    Aidan Longwell    1B    L/L    6-1    205    Kent State    Massillion, Ohio
18    532    Yanzel Correa    RHP    S/R    6-4    210    International Baseball Academy    Caguas, P.R.
19    562    Kannon Handy    LHP    L/L    6-3    220    Colorado Mesa    Herriman, Utah. 
20    592    Troy Butler    RHP     R/R    6-2    195    Herkimer County CC    Amsterdam, N.Y.