Star college pitcher Tanner Witt announced Wednesday that he will return to the University of Texas for the 2024 college baseball season. Witt was selected in the 18th round of the MLB Draft by the Baltimore Orioles but will not sign with the team.
Witt entered the 2023 draft as Baseball America’s no. 56 overall prospect, but injury concerns were likely to blame for his fall to the 18th round. After a stellar rookie season for Texas in 2021, in which he earned a 3.16 ERA with 73 strikeouts in 57 innings, Witt had to undergo Tommy John surgery in his sophomore season. He appeared in just six games in 2023 and compiled a 10.97 ERA.
Once considered a first-round talent, Witt will now return to Texas and complete his fourth season with the team. The redshirt junior took to Twitter to announce his decision, simply saying, “Unfinished business” and quoting a passage from the Book of Psalms. The verse, “The Lord will fulfill His purpose for me; Your steadfast love, O Lord, endures forever,” is often used to refer to faith in the face of adversity.
Witt is one of many players who have not signed with teams despite getting drafted. This is because of a unique quirk in the MLB Draft which allows selected players to return to college if they have eligibility remaining. Countless MLB stars, among them Aaron Judge, Max Scherzer, Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens, all declined initial draft offers before getting signed later on in their careers. It is common among high school and college players alike who are taken late in the draft and believe they can improve their standing with more time.
With another year to recover from surgery, Witt could regain some of the notoriety which made him a top prospect early in his college career. Texas will likely be a national contender after retaining much of its talent from last season, when the team advanced all the way to the Super Regional before losing to Stanford in three games.
