6 OSU players picked in MLB Draft

STILLWATER – Oklahoma State had six baseball players selected in the 2023 Major League Baseball Draft, with five of those chosen in the top 10 rounds.

OSU’s five picks in the first 10 rounds tied for the secondmost in program history. A record seven Cowboys were top 10 round picks in 2022, and the Pokes previously had five selections in 1984, 2008 and 2016.

In 11 years under coach Josh Holliday, OSU now has had 64 MLB Draft picks, with 27 of those going in the first 10 rounds.

Juaron Watts-Brown was the first Cowboy to hear his name called as he was taken in the third round with the 89th overall pick by Toronto.

A right-handed pitcher who spent his redshirt freshman season at Long Beach State before transferring to OSU, Watts-Brown was an honorable mention All-Big 12 performer in 2023. He led the Big 12 and ranked 10th nationally with 124 strikeouts while going 6-5 with a 5.03 earned-run average in 17 appearances, 15 of those starts.

Watts-Brown ranked sixth in the NCAA with 13.55 strikeouts per nine innings, and his 124 strikeouts were the 10th most in a season in OSU history.

Joining Watts-Brown as a third-round pick was Nolan McLean, who was taken by the New York Mets with the 91st overall selection.

McLean was selected as a two-way player after starring at multiple positions for the Cowboys over the last three seasons.

In 139 games as a third baseman, outfielder and DH, McLean hit .270 with 36 home runs and 96 runs batted in to go along with 32 doubles.

On the mound, McLean made 39 appearances, 36 of those out of the bullpen, and was 3-4 with 11 saves and a 4.55 ERA. The right-hander also posted 76 strikeouts in 57.1 innings.

A two-time All-Big 12 performer and an All-American as a sophomore in 2022, McLean also was a third-round pick in 2022 as the Baltimore Orioles took him 81st overall.

Up next, Roc Riggio was a fourth-round choice of the New York Yankees, who took the OSU second baseman with the 129th overall pick.

In two seasons in Stillwater, Riggio posted a .316 batting average in 113 games and also tallied 29 home runs, 31 doubles and 108 RBIs.

Riggio followed a Freshman All-American season in 2022 with an All-American showing as a sophomore as he hit .335 and ranked in the top five in the Big 12 in home runs (18), triples (three), runs (66), total bases (152) and slugging percentage (.679).

The Washington Nationals selected OSU shortstop Marcus Brown with the first pick of the fifth round.

In three seasons in Stillwater, Brown played in 148 games and posted a .302 batting average, 13 homers and 74 RBIs. As a junior in 2023, he tallied career highs in home runs (nine) and RBIs (36).

Rounding out the Cowboys’ top 10 round picks was righthanded pitcher Brian Hendry by the Yankees.

In his lone season at OSU after transferring from St. John’s, Hendry made 16 appearances on the mound, five of those as a starter, and was 2-1 with a 6.63 ERA while posting 51 strikeouts in 36 2/3 innings.

OSU’s final draftee was pitcher Isaac Stebens, who was a 16thround pick of the Boston Red Sox.

Stebens earned All-America honors in his first season with the Cowboys after spending his first two collegiate seasons at Cowley County Community College in Arkansas City, Kan.

A right-hander, Stebens led the Big 12 and ranked 10th nationally with a 2.24 ERA to go along with a 4-1 record and six saves. The Stillwater native made 28 relief appearances and racked up 85 strikeouts in 64.1 innings.

Opponents hit just .212 off Stebens, and he ranked seventh in the Big 12 in strikeouts.