Gonzalez and Alderman Selected On First Day of 2023 MLB Draft

Ole Miss Baseball’s Jacob Gonzalez and Kemp Alderman were both selected on the first day of the 2023 Major League Baseball Draft, becoming just the second pair of Rebel teammates to be picked in the first two rounds since 2008.

Gonzalez was selected by the Chicago White Sox in the first round as the 15^th overall pick of the draft. Alderman was picked by the Miami Marlins in the second round as the 47^th overall pick in the draft.

Gonzalez becomes the third-highest draft pick in Ole Miss history and is the first position player drafted in the first round since 1970. He is the third player drafted by the White Sox over the last three years, joining Tim Elko in 2022 and Taylor Broadway in 2021.

Both Gonzalez and Alderman become the highest drafted position players in Ole Miss history since Chris Coughlan was drafted as the 36^th overall pick in 2006.

Gonzalez led the Rebels in walks (35) and doubles (18) in 2023 and had the second-highest batting average on the team at .327. He was also ranked second on the team in on-base percentage (.435) and RBI (51) while finishing third in slugging percentage, runs scored, and hits.

The shortstop’s 18 doubles were the sixth-most in the SEC during the regular season and his seven sacrifice flies were on short of the league-lead. Gonzalez only committed five errors all season while playing arguably the most important defensive position on the field.

The Glendora, California native earned ABCA All-South Region and All-SEC honors along with being named a semifinalist for the Brooks Wallace Award.

Gonzalez finished his career at Ole Miss with the third-highest total number of runs scored in a career at 186 over three seasons. His 73 runs scored during 2021 are the second-highest total in a single season, trailing only Chris Coughlan who scored 75 in 2006.

His 40 career home runs are tied for the fifth-most in Ole Miss history and his 158 career RBI is the ninth-best total in program history.

Gonzalez was named the D1Baseball National Freshman of the Year in 2021, is a five-time All-American, a three-time All-SEC honoree, and was the starting shortstop for the 2022 U.S. Collegiate National Team.

Alderman earned All-America honors from two publications in 2023, being named to NCBWA’s Second Team and ABCA/Rawlings’ Third Team. The Decatur, Mississippi native led Ole Miss in nearly every offensive category, hitting .376 with a slugging percentage of .709 and on-base percentage of .440. He had 80 hits with 61 RBI, 19 home runs, and 151 total bases. He also led the team in two-out RBI (23) and batting average with runners on base (.393).

His 80 hits and 151 total bases were the fourth-highest in the SEC during the regular season and his batting average and RBI were the seventh-highest. Alderman finished the regular season ranked 25^th in the country in total bases, 35^th in home runs, and 51^st in hits.

Alderman’s 19 home runs in 2023 were the third-highest single-season total by a Rebel in program history and his .376 batting average was the highest in a season since 2012 when Alex Yarbrough hit .380.

The junior was named the winner of the 2023 Ferriss Trophy, presented annually to the most outstanding college baseball player in the state of Mississippi. He was the first Rebel to win the award since Austin Bausfield in 2014.