Junior RHP Nathan Dettmer will be trading in his maroon and white threads for green and gold. A fixture in Texas A&M baseball’s starting rotation in all three of his seasons on campus, Dettmer was selected by the Oakland Athletics in the fifth round and 139th overall in the MLB Draft on Monday, July 10.
The San Antonio native started at least 12 games each year in College Station and was used exclusively as a starter for the past two seasons. Dettmer played his freshman year in 2021: the final year of coach Rob Childress’ tenure. Dettmer was retained by coach Jim Schlossnagle as the Aggies reached the semifinals of the College World Series in 2022.
Dettmer worked a 3-2 record in his freshman campaign with 12 starts and 17 total appearances as A&M struggled its way to a 29-27 record and 9-21 mark in SEC play. Opponents hit .274 against the rookie as he allowed 60 hits and struck out 49 batters over 55.2 innings.
As a sophomore, Dettmer showed growth as he put together a 6-3 record and a 4.99 ERA over 19 starts. He surrendered 98 hits and punched out 82 batters over 92 innings as the Aggies’ effective Friday night starter. Dettmer was twice named the SEC Pitcher of the Week as the maroon and white amassed a 44-20 record, won the SEC West division and swept the Regional and Super Regional rounds of the NCAA Tournament to advance to the College World Series.
A&M’s stay in Omaha, Nebraska, was opened with a 13-8 defeat to eventual runner-up Oklahoma in which Dettmer was saddled with the loss. Four days later, he responded with his best start of the season, pitching seven scoreless frames in a 5-1 win over Notre Dame.
However, Dettmer regressed considerably in 2023, winning just one of his 17 starts for a 1-4 record. His ERA shot up to 6.32 as opponents hit .277 off of him and the Aggies’ season ended in the NCAA Regionals. Dettmer took the loss in A&M’s final game, a 7-1 loss to Stanford.
Oakland’s woeful season sees them with the worst record in baseball at the All-Star break at 25-67. The year has been largely overshadowed by poor home attendance and potential relocation to Las Vegas. Dettmer joins RHP Micah Dallas, a starter for the Aggies in 2022, in the Athletics’ system.
Dettmer was tabbed the No. 198 prospect by MLB.com after seeing his draft stock fall this spring.