Gators’ third baseman Colby Halter capped off a historic 2023 MLB Draft for the Gators with his 17th round selection to the Oakland Athletics on Tuesday evening.
Halter’s draft selection marks the first of his career after going undrafted in 2022 and telling pro scouts he was going the collegiate route out of high school. The Jacksonville, Fla. native is the 105th draft selection of the Kevin O’Sullivan era and the 220th individual Gator all-time to be taken in the MLB Draft.
In three seasons with the Orange and Blue, Halter slashed .259/.354/.405 with 14 home runs across 163 starts. While those numbers are far from eye popping, Halter slashed .307/.407/.507 during the 2022 Cape Cod Summer League, which impressed MLB scouts while earning himself a CCSL All Star Selection.
WHAT THE ATHLETICS ARE GETTING IN HALTER
The Athletics are getting a proven third baseman that can make the routine plays while also covering ground with his quick reaction times. Halter finished with a .950 career fielding percentage, having never committed more than 11 errors in a single campaign.
Halter’s bat is the question mark in his game; however, Halter has shown he can do it all at the plate throughout his collegiate career. In his freshman campaign, Halter hit .302 across 43 starts while setting career highs in OBP (.379) and SLG% (.453). Halter also dominated in both summer leagues he participated in. Halter won’t project as a power hitter in the MLB, but he’s shown the ability and raw power to clear the fence, launching seven home runs in 39 games in the CCSL while blasting eight home runs for the Gators in 2022.
What They’re Saying About Halter
Baseball America
“Halter was a prominent high school hitter who ranked as the No. 106 prospect in the 2020 class, but went unselected and made his way to campus at Florida. After a strong freshman season in 2021, Halter’s bat backed up during his draft-eligible 2022 season and he again went unselected, though he bounced back with Falmouth in the Cape Cod League, where he hit .307/.407/.507 with seven home runs in 39 games. Scouts were impressed with his performance on the Cape, but again in 2023 he struggled with the bat and hit just .247/.354/.397 with a 15.7% strikeout rate and 11.6% walk rate. Halter has no real carrying tools other than his bat, so teams will need to buy into his freshman year performance and high school pedigree more than his sophomore and junior seasons to feel confident in his ability in pro ball. He’s played both second base and third base with Florida, but fits best at the keystone in pro ball.”
CAREER ACCOLADES
2022 Cape Cod League All-Star
2022 SEC Co-Player of the Week (Feb. 28)
2022 Collegiate Baseball National Player of the Week (Feb. 28)
2022 SEC Academic Honor Roll
2021 SEC First-Year Academic Honor Roll