The Kansas City Royals selected Tennessee utility man Jared Dickey with the fifth pick in the 11th round (319th overall) of the 2023 MLB Draft Tuesday afternoon.
Dickey is the fifth Tennessee player selected in this year’s draft, joining Chase Dollander, Maui Ahuna, Seth Halvorsen and Andrew Lindsey.
The redshirt sophomore utility man fell in the draft farther than anyone expected opening the door for a potential return to Tennessee. However, the Royals will likely sign Dickey well over his slot value, matching the signing bonus the talented hitter needs to sign professionally.
The Mount Juliet, Tennessee native’s story is a strong one. Dickey lost 70 pounds while redshirting his freshman season in Knoxville and getting himself back into playing shape. The utility man hit .380 with seven home runs and 19 RBIs as a redshirt freshman in 2022 while battling a foot injury that limited him to 100 at-bats on the season.
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Dickey proved he could consistently produce in a full season as a redshirt sophomore this past season. Playing left field, Dickey missed a small stretch of games with a shoulder injury but was healthy besides that. Dickey hit .328 with 12 home runs and 52 RBIs in 244 at-bats in 2023.
The left-handed bat was the consistent catalyst of Tennessee’s offense and frequently delivered with clutch hits while hitting in the three-hole. Dickey’s strong redshirt sophomore season earned him Second Team All-SEC honors.
Dickey’s bat is consistent and the reason Kansas City would pay him well over his slot value. Where Dickey plays in the field is the question at the next level. The midstate native played left field and catcher in his time at Tennessee.
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