Three Aggies heard their names called on the final day of the 2023 MLB Draft on Tuesday, July 11, joining three Texas A&M baseball players that were selected the previous day. 1B Jack Moss, LHP Brandyn Garcia and LHP Will Johnston were selected, marking six total draftees from the 2023 maroon and white squad.
The Cincinnati Reds took Moss in the 11th round with the 318th overall pick, while Garcia was selected soon after by the Seattle Mariners 337th overall. Johnston was drafted 376th in the 13th round by the Oakland Athletics. Additionally, the Boston Red Sox took UTL Stanley Tucker in the 19th round with the 568th pick. A backup for A&M in 2023, Tucker entered the transfer portal at the end of the season.
SS Hunter Haas, RHP Nathan Dettmer and 3B Trevor Werner were selected in Day 2 of the draft on July 10 by the Tampa Bay Rays, Athletics and Kansas City Royals, respectively. Garcia and Haas joined the Aggies as transfers in 2023, with the team’s season coming to an end in the Palo Alto Regional of the NCAA Tournament.
Elsewhere in the draft, several A&M transfers heard their names called. RHP Khristian Curtis was selected by the Pittsburgh Pirates after a season at Arizona State, OF Logan Britt was taken by the Los Angeles Angels following a year at Abilene Christian and SS Kalae Harrison was drafted by the Pirates out of NC State.
Moss played in 177 games with 167 starts over three seasons at the college level, two of which came at A&M. The Colorado native began his career at Arizona State, where he started 38 games and was teammates with Haas. As a freshman, he hit .305 with six home runs and 29 runs batted in before transferring to A&M for the 2022 season.
Moss made an instant impact as the Aggies rebounded from a 29-27 2021 campaign with a trip to the College World Series semifinals. He led the team with a .380 batting average alongside six home runs and 49 RBIs with eight stolen bases. Moss committed just three errors for a .994 fielding percentage at first base.
Moss failed to match that level of production in 2023, but still led the Aggies with a .355 batting average, four home runs and 38 runs batted in with three stolen bases. His fielding percentage dropped slightly with eight errors. However, Moss drew 47 walks to raise his on-base percentage by 20 points to .457. He started every game of the past two seasons for A&M and enters the professional ranks as a talented first baseman, offensively and defensively.
In his one season in Aggieland, Garcia developed from a struggling starting pitcher in two full seasons at Quinnipiac to an effective reliever for A&M. After amassing a 5-13 record and 6.09 ERA over 19 starts with the Bobcats, the Connecticut native made the most appearances out of the bullpen for the maroon and white in 2023. He put together a 3-3 mark with a 5.56 ERA in 27 outings and struck out 56 batters in 43.2 innings. Opponents hit .213 against him.
Tied with Garcia for most pitching appearances was Johnston, who took on a starting role for A&M down the stretch. After making eight appearances with a 12.96 ERA in his first full season in 2021, the Keller native saw his usage and efficiency take a boost in 2022. Over 36 innings and 23 appearances with two starts, Johnston worked a 3-1 record and a 3.25 ERA. He tallied four saves and 49 strikeouts over 36 frames.
Johnston saw an increase in his usage this past season albeit with a rise in his ERA to 5.89 and a 3-3 mark. Coach Jim Schlossnagle inserted him into the starting rotation midway through SEC play as he struck out 70 batters in 47.1 total innings, but pitch command became an issue with 17 wild pitches and 31 walks.
Tucker entered the transfer portal after one year at A&M in which he was utilized primarily as a backup center fielder. The Richmond native made just three starts with 20 appearances while hitting .273 with two runs batted in. Tucker had a .407 on-base percentage while stealing four bags and playing perfect defense.
Tucker joined the Aggies after two terrific seasons at the junior college level. In his freshman season at Wharton County Junior College, he was named the Region XIV South Most Valuable Player and a first team all-conference shortstop after hitting .405 with 14 home runs, 42 RBIs and 10 stolen bases.
He headed to New Mexico Junior College for the following season, where was named a NJCAA 1st Team All-American and WJCAC Conference MVP. His phenomenal year saw him hit .407 with 17 home runs, 90 runs batted in and 37 stolen bases over 58 games.