Rao goes in the eighth round and is the third member of the Irish off the board
The Philadelphia Phillies made Alex Rao the third member of the 2022 Notre Dame Fighting Irish baseball team to be drafted, selecting him with the 242nd overall pick in the 8th round. Rao joins Jack Brannigan and Liam Simon as Notre Dame players taken in the MLB Draft this year.
Congratulations @alex__rao as he was selected by the @Phillies in the eighth round of the @MLBDraft! #GoIrish☘️ #RingTheBell pic.twitter.com/tOMIImchH2
— Notre Dame Baseball (@NDBaseball) July 18, 2022
Rao pitched exclusively as a reliever this year for Notre Dame, his senior season. He finished with a 3-1 record, 3.83 ERA, 3 saves, and 54 strikeouts over 47.0 innings. He was second on the team in both appearances and strikeouts.
The slot value for the 242nd pick is $178,900, although as a senior and relief pitcher Rao is definitely an underslot candidate. He does have a year of eligibility remaining and recently entered the transfer portal after Link Jarrett left Notre Dame. Being drafted can certainly change those plans though, and as a reliever only chances are Rao’s draft stock doesn’t get much higher than it is right now.