Florida shortstop [autotag]Colby Shelton[/autotag] was the biggest question mark for the Gators coming into the draft, and now he has a decision to make after being selected by the Washington Nationals in the 20th round of the 2024 MLB draft.
That decision should be fairly easy considering Shelton entered the draft as a potential Day 1 selection. For those unfamiliar with the MLB draft, players don’t have to sign with a team if they don’t like the slot value they’re picked at. Draft-eligible sophomores, such as Shelton, hold the most leverage among college athletes because they have two more years of eligibility remaining.
All that is to say that Shelton will likely be headed back to Florida, which means the Gators don’t have to find an immediate replacement at shortstop.
To sign Shelton, the Nationals would have to submit a massive over-slot offer, and history tells us that this is more like a 20th-round flier after everyone else on their draft board is gone. Still, it leaves a small percentage of a chance that Shelton does leave.
As of publishing time, Shelton had not confirmed his decision to return like several other players.
Colby Shelton at the University of Florida
Shelton transferred to Florida from Alabama after one year of college ball. He had a reputation for tearing the cover off the ball — 25 home runs as a freshman — but the swing-and-miss was still a problem. Shelton also wanted to prove he could play shortstop, and Florida needed someone to fill the void left by Josh Rivera.
The power numbers decreased for Shelton while the strikeouts increased at Florida. Still an above-average hitter (115 wRC+), Shelton didn’t become the sure-fire Day 1 pick many scouts believe he can be. He slashed .254/.374/.551 compared to .300/.419/.729 as a freshman.
Shelton should return to Florida as one of the most dangerous hitters in the lineup. He and Luke Heyman are both viewed as non-draftees that are set to make a big jump in 2025 with the program.
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