Tennessee utility man Jared Dickey intends to sign with Kansas City after the Royals drafted him in the 11th round of the 2023 MLB Draft, GoVols247’s Ben McKee first reported and Dickey confirmed to RTI Wednesday morning.
Dickey projected as an early day two pick entering the draft but fell all the way to day three leading to speculation that the All-SEC standout could return for his redshirt junior season. Instead, Kansas City offered the talented hitter a signing bonus well over his slot value.
The Mount Juliet, Tennessee native turned in a storied and fascinating collegiate career. Dickey lost 70 pounds while redshirting as a freshman before impressing while battling injuries as a redshirt freshman in 2022. Dickey hit .380 with seven home runs and 19 RBIs in just 100 at-bats on the season.
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The utility man proved he could sustain a high level of success over the course of a full season this past spring. Playing catcher and primarily 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. His strong redshirt sophomore season earned him Second Team All-SEC honors.
While Dickey coming back to Knoxville for another season would have been a massive boost to Tennessee, the Vols never expected to get a fourth year with the left-handed bat.
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