Vanderbilt baseball signee Max Clark selected by Detroit Tigers in 2023 MLB Draft

Vanderbilt baseball signee Max Clark was drafted third overall by the Detroit Tigers in the 2023 MLB Draft on Sunday.

Clark, who has been seen as unlikely to join the Commodores for over a year, was ranked the No. 2 player in the class by Perfect Game. He is expected to sign with the Tigers and forgo college to pursue a professional career. Clark told reporters that he expects to sign for $7,698,000, which is below the $8,341,700 slot for the No. 3 pick.

The 6-foot-1, 190-pound outfielder from Franklin, Indiana, was named the No. 5 overall draft prospect by MLB Pipeline and is best known for his hitting ability, speed and athleticism. He has played for USA Baseball's 18U National Team and was named the 2023 Gatorade National Player of the Year, given to the top overall high school baseball player in the United States.

Vanderbilt has lost its top-ranked positional commit to the pros every year since 2018. The last year the Commodores did not lose any positional commits to the draft was in 2017, when Jayson Gonzalez was the top-ranked position player signee.

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This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Max Clark, Vanderbilt signee, picked by Tigers in 2023 MLB Draft